Kage No Naruto
by Score89
Summary: At the age of seven Naruto has an unpleasant accident with the villagers, that 1 day changes the life of Naruto and the entire elemental nations.What follows is the story of the rise of a legend, one as powerful as the Gods. SuperNaruto. NarutoAnko
1. A world of darkness and pain

KAGE NO NARUTO

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Slinter Cell. They belong to their respective owners**

**Chapter 1: A World of Darkness and Pain**

Naruto gave a short cry of pain as he was slammed into the ground. He tried to get up and run, but a pair of kunai cut his retreat off. Blood was running down his forehead, from where the kunai had cut him, but even as his pursuers watched the cut closed up and the blood stopped flowing. The seven year old turned to face his attackers, who were none other than a group of drunken chuunins. He knew exactly why they were after him, it_ was _the 10th of October, and Kami knows that the entire village would be out to get him on this day. He was just glad that there were no jounin with the group.

At first Naruto tried to fight the men, but was held firmly to the ground and his feeble attempts at protecting himself were mocked at. Blows upon blows rained down on the helpless child. The commotion even attracted the attention of a few villagers who were happy to have an opportunity to beat up the 'demon brat'.

By the time he was found by Hokage, Naruto was barely clinging on to life.

"Kami-sama…' gasped the aged man in shock, as he watched the small boy convulse in pain. His eyes had been gauged out and blood flowed from the various cuts on his body, literally flooding the small alley. No body should have been able to produce this much blood, but the hokage attributed it to the demon within the boy.

Wasting no time, Sarutobi rushed over to Naruto and administered what healing jutsu he knew, to stabilize the boy's condition. Within seconds the royal robes of the Hokage were dyed red with blood. The old man watched in horror as the boy turned his head and gave the Hokage an up close view of his mutilated eye sockets.

"Oyaji?"

"I'm here Naruto, everything will be fi…" and before the man could complete his sentence, Naruto fell into a deep sleep, only to wake up three months later, to find his world plunged in darkness.

_Three months later_

"Lord Hokage," gasped the chuunin, out of breath, "The hospital sent word, Naruto is wake."

Sarutobi's eyes widened as he practically jumped from the window and raced towards the hospital, while constantly thinking of the boy and his mental health. The only good thing that had come out of this was that, the criminals had been dealt with…by Ibikiand then publicly executed.

Reaching the hospital he wasted no time in reaching the Naruto's room. He knocked quietly and after a muffled "Come in." he opened his eyes to see a blonde boy with bandages over his eyes.

"Naruto, how do you feel?" Sarutobi inquired.

"I'm fine Oya-ji…why did it happen? Why?" even though the boy could no longer cry the tear in the his voice, spoke volumes of the pain he felt.

"…"

"WHY DOES IT ALWAYS HAVE TO BE ME!!!!! WHY DO I HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO SUFFER!!!!!"

No longer being able to stop the tears flowing from his eyes, Sarutobi went to Naruto's bed and hugged him, the boy latched onto the only source of comfort he could find and let go of all his emotions. He screamed, complained and finally when he was exhausted, he asleep, with the hokage still by his side.

He was falling, and there was darkness all around, he landed on the ground with a splash as his sandals hit water. Naruto could see a light at the end, wait a minute he could _see_.

"YATTA! I can see, I can see." Before the blonde could start dancing, he heard a whisper.

It was like a gust of cold wind in the middle of summers, the words seemed soft, yet they somehow resonated. Someone was calling him, beckoning him to come forward, to come into the light, and that was exactly what Naruto did. The light lead him to a huge chamber filled with pipes, both red and blue in color. A large cage filled up most of the chamber, beyond which no light penetrated. As Naruto walked closer to the golden bars he noticed a large paper with _seal_ written on it pasted on one of the bars. Upon a closer inspection, the bars, he noticed complex seals inscribed on it.

But before Naruto could touch one of the bars, a pair of red eyes snapped open from behind the cage, only a few inches from Naruto's face. With a shout of alarm he jumped back.

"Wha…"

**Is that the best response you can give boy? **Came a booming voice. Squinting his eyes, Naruto could see a humanoid shape crouching on the ground.

"Who are you? And where am I?" inquired the boy.

**We are inside your mind fool, and as for who I am, why don't you ask your _precious_ grandfather. **

"What the hell are we doing here you er! And why did you bring me here?**" **

**My my, cursing at such a young age…you're not as bad as I thought. **Said the voice, sounding amused. **I've brought you here to strike a deal…As you can see I'm trapped here. I will give you anything you want, in exchange of my freedom. **

"Hey pal" shouted Naruto, "I'm not stupid! Why the hell should I free you, whoever you are, you're here for a reason. I don't want anything from a scumbag like you!"

**YOU WOULD DO WELL TO MIND YOUR TONGUE BOY! LEST I RIP IT OUT! **A large amounted of killing intent washed over Naruto, blasting him away to the opposing wall and making it difficult for him to breath. After what seemed like a lifetime, the pressure finally lifted, and he was able to breathe again. **You have spirit boy, you are foolish, but brave. Now if you value the life of the old man you love, you _will_ make a deal with me. **With these words the figure waved his hand and an image formed in front of Naruto. The hokage lay on the ground, clutching his throat. Writhing on the ground as his life force slowly slipped into the underworld.

"YOU BASTARD! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!"

**Nothing that you can't prevent. Simply agree with the deal and I'll spare his life.**

"You hurt, him…and I'll kill you." And without warning wisps, of dark chakra surrounded Naruto, as he rushed forward, not taking account the bars that separated him and his pray. Even before he could reach his destination, a hand shot out from the cage and slammed Naruto back into the wall.

**You have potential boy…here take my gift. We shall meet again...**

Before he could make a sound, Naruto was once again hit by the massive killing intent, but this time instead of making him cower with fear, it forced him out. Out into the real world.

Once again blackness greeted him, as a sigh of relief left his lips. A second later the seven year old's world burst into pain, most of the pain was surrounding his eyes. It felt as if someone had taken a hot poker and rammed it into his eyes. Naruto could distinctly make out the noise of door banging open and frantic voices, before he succumbed, once again to unconsciousness.

**How did you like it. Was it good, bad or does it deserve to be taken down entirely...it was a bit short though, don't worry the coming chapters will be a lot longer. Please review, constructive criticism is welcome. I need a Beta for this story, who can read my work beforehand and help me edit it. Anyone who thinks this story has potential and has had successful fan-fics related to action n adventure, please contact me via PM.**


	2. And There Was Light

**Chapter 2: And There Was Light**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Splinter cell. They belong to their respective owners**

Sarutobi watched as the med-nins worked tirelessly to stabilize the boy's condition. He was not stupid, he recognized the evil chakra that was concentrated in Naruto's eyes. He knew not what was going on behind those bandages, but he knew enough about the Kyuubi's chakra to know that if it didn't stop, then boy he considered his grandson, would, invariably die.

"How is he?" he asked, his voice laced with worry as the head medic finished the final check up of the boy.

"I think that you should come to my office Hokage-sama." Without a word both men turned, and the Hokage made to follow the slightly younger man. They were delayed a little as the Hokage had to pause for a little while to visit another patient. One who had suffered as much as the blonde jailor.

"Ohayo Gozaimazu Anko-san." Greeted the Hokage.

A girl, not even in her teens, lifted her and smiled at the old man. "What is it old man?" she inquired.

"Nothing, I was just passing by when I thought to see how you were faring. I know that you have gone through a bad experience. I just want you to know that you're welcome to talk to me whenever you feel like it. My doors are always open to you Anko-chan."

A brief flash of pain passed over the girl's face, before she masked her face with a cold expression. A smile planted firmly on her face. "Ya ya old man…now leave before I stick this kunai in you." She said, holding a kunai with her left hand, the hand that was empty just moments prior. Sarutobi suppressed his look of pity as he recognized the mask being put on. Forcing his lips to form a smile, he said, "Jan ne Anko-chan."

"Sayonara oyaji."

With a nod, the Hokage closed the door and motioned for the doctor to lead him to his office. After five minutes, the hokage found himself in a white office, with a hot cup of green tea between his hands. He looked around and barely suppressed a grimaced as he saw the pure white walls. _God I hate hospitals. _There was a large desk, made out of mahogany. On it were various reports and files, no doubt belonging to the innumerable patients in the hospital. Various medical machines were scattered throughout the room. A small bed occupied the left side of the room, while huge file cabinets covered the rear wall. All in all the place looked rather bland, and would have been more fitting for a Hyuuga.

The doctor was seated behind the desk and was quietly sipping a saucer of sake.

"Lord Hokage. I will get to the point and tell you that the boy is suffering of chakra poisoning. It is an extremely rare case, and normally does not happen with ninja. Large quantities of _that_ chakra has been concentrating around his eyes, causing us to believe that the demon is attempting to give the boy his eyes back."

A small gasp escaped from sarutobi's lips. He had known that the demon had granted Naruto extensive healing capabilities, but _regeneration_, that was something he had never even dreamed to be possible.

"However," continued the doctor, seeming unaware of the older man's shock, "The massive influx of foreign chakra has destabilized the boy's chakra system. He is at a stage where two things could happen…he would either die a horrible death, where his chakra coils would literally vaporize leaving him in constant agony for approximately two weeks…or…his chakra coils could become extremely thick, which might enable to use high level jutsu rather easily, and making it difficult to attack his internal organs with chakra. It would make Jyuuken use, rather ineffective…however to tell you the truth Hokage-sama, his chances of survival are extremely low, not more than five percent…I am sorry."

Sarutobi sat shell shocked as he listened to the doctor make his report. Never in his life had he heard anything like this. A lone tear escaped the man's eye at the thought of losing his self proclaimed grandson. Without even looking at the medic, the hokage left the office.

He remembered all the times he had with Naruto, he still remembered the day he had picked up Naruto from the debris left over from the kyuubi's rampage. When he had seen the look on Naruto's face, he had smiled and forgotten the wreckage that surrounded him. The small chibi-Naruto gurgled happily and made a grab for the old monkey's nose. The hokage had watched the boy grow up from the shadows. He had provided for the boy when he had been unable to do so. He had even sneaked into Naruto's apartment just to put some extra ryo on the boy's nightstand, when he had run out of cash.

But despite all that, the Hokage simply couldn't do anything to help Naruto out at this time. For all the power the old man possessed, right now, at that particular point of time, he felt helpless. With a sigh, the hokage started to make for his office, to tackle the paperwork that had no doubt accumulated over the period of time he was busy…

**BOOM**

An explosion of chakra rocked the hospital, the bang was soon followed by a large amount of chakra output. The chakra felt tainted and evil. A chakra that had not been felt since seven years. All plans of paperwork vanished from Sarutobi's mind as he quickly rushed to Naruto's room. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next

On the bed lay Naruto, writhing in pain and clutching the bandages surrounding his eyes, he parted his lips only to let out a scream so horrifying and filled with pain that it sent chills down the hokage's spine. The door behind Hokage exploded as various med-nins and ANBU rushed into the room, no doubt attracted by the chakra and the boy's screams.

The medics did all that they could to calm Naruto, they even tried to tranquilize him, but nothing worked. The screams continued for fifteen minutes, but to everyone present it looked like hours had passed, as they all watched the small boy convulse in pain, with them…the famed Konoha nin watching in horror, unable to do a simple thing like assisting the boy.

Once the screams subsided, so did the sudden lethargy of the doctors. At once they all sprang into action, using various medical jutsus to ascertain the boy's condition. After waiting for an hour, Sarutobi's patience finally ran through

"What is it? What the hell happened to him?" the hokage all but screamed at the mass of doctors.

"N-nothing hokage-sama," stuttered a medic, his eyes wide, "The boy seams to be absolutely fine. No signs of damage at all! He has regained his eyesight."

Before the doctor could continue, the old man, finally having enough excitement to last a lifetime…promptly fainted.

**Author's Notes**

**I don't know the technical term for cot type thingy doctors use to treat their patients with, so bear with me.**

**How did you like it. Was it good, bad or does it deserve to be taken down entirely...Please review, constructive criticism is welcome. I know that I promised longer chapters, but to see the all-mighty professor fainting seemed…just right**


	3. A Time for Explanations

**Chapter 3: A Time For Explanations**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Splinter Cell. They belong to their respective owners**

Sarutobi opened his eyes; an unwilling groan escaped his lips. He raised his head to find himself in a hospital room. A bottle of glucose was connected to him…his eyes widened as he remembered the events of last twenty-four hours.

Naruto's awakening…

The boy crying his heart out…

The screams!

The Chakra poisoning…

_Kami! Naruto…_with surprising strength, Sarutobi dragged himself out of the bed and made his way to Naruto's room number. As he reached the room, he couldn't help but smile at the irony fate put the boy through. The numbers 999 were displayed on the door in bright red.

As silently as he could, he opened the door. Startling a medic, who was just finishing with his check up on the boy.

"How is he?" inquired the Hokage.

"Much better Hokage-sama. I expect him to be at 100 efficiency within two to a maximum of three days."

A small smile crept up on the older man's face, highlighting the many wrinkles and age lines on his face, and for the first time the Hokage looked his age…"You never seize to surprise me Naruto." The words were said so quietly that, the medic, who was standing close to his lord, could barely hear them. The doctor switched his gaze to his patients' face.

_How could a boy, who could give an old man such happiness, be a demon._ He thought before leaving the room as quietly as he could. So as to not to disturb the surrogate grandfather and his grandson.

Sarutobi moved to sit on a chair near Naruto's bed, when a slight twitch in the yellow haired brat's hand caught his attention. The smile quickly upgraded itself into a full blown grin as he took a seat and placed his hand on Naruto's much smaller one. The slight touch caused Naruto to jerk into consciousness. A red glow could be seen, emanating from behind the bandages.

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Naruto woke up upon feeling a hand touch his own; he moved his other hand to his eyes, only to find them be stopped by bandages.

"I think that we should wait for the doctors, ne Naruto-kun."

"O-ojisan…" the boy sounded surprised, and for a moment Sarutobi wondered if his so called had made it through the ordeal with his sanity in tact…

But before Sarutobi could continue his train of though, he was hugged fiercely by a seven year old prankster. The hokage returned the hug, only to feel Naruto shaking slightly.

"Are you alright Naruto?"

Naruto lifted his head, and Sarutobi could see tears escaping from behind the bandages. "I…the man…" Naruto choked out, "He was killing you!"

"Who? As you can see my boy, I am absolutely fine. There's some time before the medics come to check on you again, so why don't you tell me the reason for your fears?" the elder man asked.

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So for half an hour, Naruto explained, to the best of his ability what that _man_ had done.

Upon finishing, Naruto asked exactly what Sandaime had dreaded. "ne, ojisan…who was that man?"

Sarutobi looked at the boy, he was about to reveal a secret that he knew would change Naruto's attitude towards the village. He just hoped that the boy could forgive both him and this village. With a sigh Sandaime parted his lips, to unknowingly reveal a secret that would rock the foundations of the entire shinobi world.

"Naruto, you know that Kyuubi attacked Konoha seven years ago, right?"

After being answered by a nod, he continued, "A great battle followed. Even the combined might of every ninja of Konoha, we couldn't put a stop to the demon's rampage. On the contrary, we actually managed to annoy it. The battle lasted for the entire day. That is until the Yondaime appeared upon his summon. He used one of his special techniques and Gamabunta's attacks to draw the Kyuubi's attention. This gave the remaining ninja's enough time regroup and use their most powerful jutsus at the demon. Managing to atleast disorient it. This gave the fourth all the time he needed to completed the most advanced sealing technique known to man. Using his on body as a medium, the fourth summoned the Shinigami. Using the death god's power, yondaime managed to seal away the Kyuubi in a child. No one knows where he got the child from, some say that he was an orphan, and some he was the child of yondaime himself…that child was you Naruto…"

Comprehension dawned on naruto's bandaged face. His eyebrows shot up, and his mouth opened slightly. "What does that mean oji-san. That I'm yondaime's…"

Not wanting to give Naruto the wrong idea, Sandaime quickly stopped that train of thought. "No Naruto, as far as I'm aware the Fourth had no child, and was unmarried. I believe that your resemblance to him is because of the seal he crafted on you."

With an almost unnoticeable nod, the blond continued, "So that's why they hate me, the villagers I mean. They think that I'm kyuubi…I'm not, right."

"No your not Naruto, unfortunately though the villagers only see you as a scapegoat…I think that a part pf them believes you to be innocent, but the loss of their loved ones is still fresh in their minds. Whenever they see you Naruto, they pain comes back, and rational logic leaves them, they can't see reason…I request you, please do not be angry at them. I know that it's a bit much to ask, but I know you. I know how you are behind that mask of yours. Don't forgive them, but I beg you, please don't judge them too harshly."

"I promise ojisan. I will not hate them, they can't control their actions. I promise that one day, I will lift the curtain that blinds them, and make them see the truth…I promise."

"I also want to warn you Naruto, Kyuubi is a fox, and like all kitsunes, he is extremely cunning. He tricked you once already and will try to do so again, be extremely careful when dealing with him, and if possible don't talk to him at all!"

"Now on a pleasant note, the doctors and I believe that Kyuubi has given you your eyes back…"

But before they could continue their conversation however, a group of medics entered the room. Upon seeing their patient awake, their eyes widened a bit. But they only acknowledged both the occupants with a short bow, "Hokage-sama, Naruto-san."

"Ah, I'm glad that you came. I was just about to send for you anyways. I think that Naruto here might be getting a little frustrated with the bandages, and I'm sure all of us are excited to see his eyes. Do you think that it's safe to remove the bandages medic-san."

"I don't see any reason not to Hokage-sama." Said a medic, while scanning Naruto's body, who had his mouth wide open, slight drool was beginning to escape.

The other medic picked up the scissors which were placed in a small tray full of other medicines and tools. He moved over to Naruto, "Please close your eyes Naruto-san, and don't open them till you are instructed to do so." He ordered the boy, who only replied with a nod of his head, his mouth firmly shut again.

With a firm hand the second medic tilted Naruto's head and kept him firmly in place. The other medic used the scissors to quickly rid the boy of the bandages that were covering his eyes. "Now Naruto-san, slowly open your eyes and tell us if you can see again."

Slowly Naruto opened his eyes. A red glow surrounded his eyes, and he immediately shut them. "Too bright…" he managed mutter. With a nod, Sarutobi signaled the medics to switch off the lights and close the curtains. "Open them again Naruto," he commanded softly.

Once again Naruto opened his eyes, in the dark room Naruto's eyes glowed like a shining beacon. "Whoa…everything's so…bright," he exclaimed.

"Listen to me Naruto, I want you to relax your eyes. Close them and think about something that soothes you." Instinctively, Naruto thought about the darkness, the feeling of complete invisibility that the darkness gave him. It was his savior; it helped him hide from villagers and guided him home. Unknown to him, Naruto's chakra had started reacting to its master's call, and Naruto's form started flickering. One second he could be seen, and the next he seemed to dissolve completely. But Naruto didn't notice all this, he was experiencing peace for the first time in his life, the feeling of tranquility. He felt free…more free than he had felt ever, he could sense everything in the room. From the three other occupants to the small insects crawling on the walls.

The feeling stopped however, when the lights came back on. Suddenly feeling blinded, Naruto quickly opened his eyes, forgetting for a second his previous experience. What he saw however, confused him to no extent. The Hokage had kunais in both of his hands, and the doctors had something green coating their hands. The Hokage's hands tightened around the kunai when he saw Naruto's eyes.

"What!" exclaimed Naruto, freaked out by the sudden hostility shown by his adoptive grandfather. Without a word, the Hokage pointed one of his kunai to the mirror. Naruto practically jumped from his bed and made his way over to the mirror. What he saw, gave him the shock of his life, and the citizens of Konoha a splitting headache, as a shout penetrated all windows and houses. The sound was even heard, in a heavily soundproofed room, in the lowest dungeons of the Hokage tower, where it put a sadistic smile on the face of one torture expert.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

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**A/N: A slightly longer chapter. I hope you all like it. I just want to say that English is not my first language, so there are bound to be some errors in the chapters. I need a beta, someone who has prior experience in writing action/adventure stories. Anyone who is interested can contact me via PM. I want to thank all those who reviewed and took some time to explain my faults. THANK YOU!!! I hope the explanations in this chapter were up to everyone's satisfaction. My exams have started and it will take me a while to come out with a new chapter (another 10days max). For those who find the story becoming boring, worry not. The action starts In the coming chapters. These few chapters were there to build a strong base for the chapters to come.**


	4. A Request is Made

**Chapter 4: A Request is Made**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Splinter Cell. They belong to their respective owners.**

The passing hour saw Naruto, Sandaime and the head medic; who Naruto found out to be named Toru, seated in the office of the Kage of the Hidden Leaf Village.

A pair of confused red eyes stared at the hokage, as Sarutobi pulled out a pipe from his robes and calmly lit it, he then proceeded to close his eyes and take in a long breath, allowing the tobacco to calm his nerves and poison his lungs. He opened his eyes, and returned naruto's gaze. Smiling at the boy's expression, he turned to the other man seated in his office.

"So Toru-san, do you have an explanation for this…unique change?"

"I don't know hokage-sama. When I was conducting a check up on Naruto-san, I noticed a change in his eye structure, but I merely assumed it to be the result of the fox regenerating the boy's eyes."

Once again Sarutobi turned to his young grandson, who was uncharacteristically sitting quietly and just listening to his two superiors form theories. "Naruto, do your eyes feel any different?"

"Hai. I can see much better, Its like shadows don't exist for me! I can see all the dust in the air. I can even count the wrinkles on your face ojisan!" exclaimed the boy, to which the hokage merely responded by a slight chuckle, before his face once again turned serious.

"The only reason I can think of is that this is the 'gift' Kyuubi spoke of. From what you say, It enables you to see much clearly, and when you pump chakra into your eyes, it helps you see in the dark," Sarutobi switched his gaze towards Toru, "do you think that this could cause problems in the future?"

"As I said Sarutobi-sama, I have never experienced nothing like this before. Somehow the fox managed to restore the chakra pathways surrounding Naruto's eyes and genetically alter the structure of his eyes, also there is no trace of Kyuubi's chakra. I believe that as long as Naruto does not force the beast's chakra into his eyes, he should be completely fine."

"Thank you Toru-san. It goes without saying that news of this incident should not leak out. It must be treated as an S-class secret, adequate _punishment_ will be dealt out. Now, I believe that I've kept you from your work long enough…", not missing the signs of clear dismissal, the head medic got up and bowed once before leaving.

Once the medic had left the office Sarutobi quickly flashed through a dozen seals and put up a sound barrier surrounding his office. "Now Naruto, what was that trick you pulled in the hospital." Asked Sarutobi, his tone firm and voice cold. Upon hearing his 'grandfather' change so much, Naruto stuttered a bit, but replied nonetheless.

"I..I don't know…I closed my eyes and thought about darkness and I felt good, I felt free. What happened?"

"Nothing much, for a second it was like you had literally faded into the shadows. I couldn't even sense your chakra anymore." Said Sarutobi, leaving a thoroughly shocked Naruto.

"But…but that's not possible, is it, I mean…I'm not from Shikamaru's clan, am I?"

"No you're not, not even Nara Shikato can do something like that, and he's the clan head." the Hokage pause, his expressions changed to indicate an idea. "Tell me Naruto, you've been going to the academy for two years now. Do you know how to generate chakra?"

"Hai, we've covered the theory but we have never done it before."

" Don't worry. All you need to do is to hold this handsign, an concentrate on mixing your spiritual and physical energy...Now Naruto, generate some chakra for me."

Without a word Naruto stood up and closed his eyes. His face twisted into one of concentration as he combined his physical energy and spiritual energy. Once again, Naruto felt the freedom he had felt in the hospital room, and opened his eyes.

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Sarutobi looked into the slitted eyes of Naruto while he concentrated, a few seconds later, a dark glow surrounded Naruto. The boy didn't vanish like the last time, but dark wisps of chakra flared around him, blowing his sun kissed hair with wind that could not be felt. Slowly Naruto opened his eyes and met the shocked ones of his leader.

A few seconds passed as both the occupants of the room fully grasped the situation at hand. Finally Sarutobi overcame his shock and told Naruto to stop channeling chakra.

"Never…never in my life had I thought that I would encounter something so marvelous." He muttered to himself, as he took a long puff of his pipe.

"ne, oyaji…what just happened. Why was my chakra black?"

Sarutobi gave a small smile, "Well…before I state my theory, let me give you a brief history lesson. You see Naruto, there are three types of chakras in the world. Holy, human and demon chakra. Each of them has their own unique properties. But a few millennia ago, it was not so. There were only two forms of chakra – Holy and demonic. Holy chakra was, as you would no doubt have figured out could only be channeled by celestial beings, except one. Only the Shinigami could not use this chakra. In its raw form it could be used to heal any form of injury and give its wielder the power to use Light based jutsus. The demonic chakra on the other hand, was corrosive in nature. In its raw form, it could poison and burn down any thing it came in contact with. Jutsus could not be used with this chakra, but in its raw form itself, it was an immensely destructive. It as much later that the third form of chakra…human chakra came into existence. It was actually an angel cast out of heaven who introduced this chakra. It is not known why that angel was cast out, but before he as exiled to our plane, the ability to wield holy chakra was taken away by Kami. Instead leaving him with an impure form of chakra, human chakra. Upon realizing that he sstill possessed chakra, he started experimenting with it to find its properties. He found that he could concentrate chakra into various parts of his body, to increase the strength of those parts. Thousands of years later, this ability diluted further, and was passed on to his descendants, which were later called – shinobi."

"This however does not concern you, like I mentioned before, only the Shinigami did not wield holy chakra. Instead he wielded darkness chakra, it gave him complete control over life and death. It is believed that his form of chakra was so great and terrible that all the other celestial beings, including his brother, Kami, were both jealous and afraid of him. I think that during your sealing when the yondaime summoned Shinigami, some of his chakra got trapped in you. It lay dormant and mixed with your own chakra. Making an entirely new form of chakra. It seems that your chakra in its raw form, lets you control shadows. But why it showed now, and not earlier, I cannot say. There is one more test to see how strong and diverse this new chakra is."

Sarutobi opened one of his desk drawers and took out a card, "I want you to channel some of your chakra into this card."

Nodding, Naruto took the paper from Sarutobi and channeled some chakra into the paper. A small tearing sound could be heard, as the paper split into two. "What does that mean Hokage-sama?" said Naruto, not realizing his slip up.

The hokage refrained the urge to smile upon hearing Naruto of all people calling him by his title. "It means what I had hoped it would. Your chakra is some sort of hybrid between human and shinigami's chakra. It allows you to control shadows to some extent, but at the same time it has not lost its ability to become aligned with nature. Every normal human's chakra has an affinity towards either one of the natures forces. After some time their chakra can be aligned to more than one element. The elements are either fire, water, wind, lightening or earth. The card I gave you was a chakra sensitive card. You have wind affinity because your paper split into two. It means that you'll have less problems with using wind related jutsu, and with some training you might even gain some control over that element. However I suspect that because of your 'shadow' chakra you might not be able to use all types of jutsus. I think you might not be able to perform any jutsu which is higher than B-Rank."

Naruto, who upto this point was getting ready to shout about being an all-powerful ninja

Quickly shut his mouth and looked disappointed.

Upon seeing the look on the young boy's face, Sarutobi couldn't help but laugh, "Oh Naruto-kun," he said, rubbing tears of mirth out of his eyes, "don't be disappointed, I'm sure that you'll be able to perform tones of never before seen techniques with your new chakra."

Upon hearing these words the boy brightened up considerably and shouted while raising his fists, "Yosh! I will use my new powerful chakra, and become the greatest Hokage their ever was!" he ended with a classic 'thumbs up' pose, that reminded hokage of a certain 'beast'.

Before Sarutobi could say something, Naruto once again started looking gloomy.

"Hey ojisan…I was thinking about what you told me about the villagers might not hating me deep down, I want to believe it, but…I think that even the slight possibility of them acknowledging me might never happen if I stay here and continue to remind them of what they lost. I…I was thinking of leaving the village for some years to train. So that when I come back they can acknowledge me for who I am, and not who I keep imprisoned in me."

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Sarutobi's face changed into one of confusion, frankly, he had never expected such a request from the boy? His face displaying a number of emotions, ranging from confusion (which was the first), to one of frustration, contemplation, resignation and finally sadness.

"Naruto," he sighed, "While you might be correct in assuming that the villager's hate might lesson if you don't stay in the village, however I cannot in good conscience allow a seven year old boy out into the shinobi world. I'm sorry Naruto, but I'm going to have deny your request."

Sarutobi could not bear the heartbroken expression on Naruto's face, once more the Hokage closed his eyes and uttered an audible sigh. "Come again at noon tomorrow, We'll arrange something then."

The heartbroken expression quickly morphed into one of jubilation so fast that the hokage was forced to think that Naruto had used some kind of genjutsu

A loud yell of "YATTA!!." Could be heard by everyone throughout the village, "I will be here the first thing in the morning," he concluded in a softer tone.

Practically jumping with joy the seven year old happily exited he tower, and went to his home, where he kept track of each hour that would lead him closer to gaining the village's respect.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **

"What will you do now?" asked a voice

"I don't know. The boy is right, him leaving he village might cool down things a bit. But no seven year old can survive in the shinobi world."

"You have me…I'll watch over him." Said the mysterious voice.

A small chuckle could be heard, "You can't even watch yourself, I sure won't trust you to take care of a kid…Jiraiya"

The man known as Jiraiya stepped out from the shadows, he wore green and red clothes, with a headband which had the kanji for 'oil'. Two red streaks could be seen going from the man's eyes and down his cheeks, those streaks gave of the impression that the man was crying tears of blood. He had long white hair, spiking in every direction, and a large scroll on his back.

Jiraiya pouted, "Well…I could train him for some time, help him reach low chunnin level. Then you can send him off."

"That might work, we'll talk to him tomorrow. Be here at 9a.m sharp."

"Ya, whatever old man. Research awaits." Was all he said, before jumping out of the window.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was five in the morning, when Sarutobi woke up. After having a small breakfast, and checking up on his nephew and grandson, he started to make his way over to the Hokage tower. As soon as he stepped out, the cool morning breeze hit him. He looked at his village, it was at this time, that the true beauty of Konoha could be seen. A small village surrounded by lush forests.

This…was paradise.

This…was what he protected.

Not the mere reflection it had become.

Pushing the saddening thoughts out of his mind, he made his way to the tower. Like always, the tower was deserted, Sarutobi could occasionally see a random ANBU member take up his/her positions. The hokage reached the double doors, upon doing so, his eyes widened in surprise.

There, in front of the doors, a small boy lay asleep. A little bit of drool escaping his mouth. The old Kage couldn't help but grin, as the said boy out his thumb into his mouth. Offering a silent prayer to Kami for preserving the boy's innocence, he lifted up Naruto as gently as he could and carried him over to his office. After placing the boy on a comfortable chair, the Hokage turned to his daily work and called an ANBU member, by pressing a button under his large desk. Almost immediately a knock was heard as an ANBU with a weasel mask made into the Hokage's office.

"Ah Itachi-kun, I see you're up working at this hour. Its nice to see such dedicated shinobi. Would you mind fetching Jiraya for me?"

The man known as Itachi glanced at Naruto, before bowing his head, "Hai Hokage-sama." A second later he disappeared in a plume of ninja smoke.

Barely five minutes had passed before Sarutobi heard his window open. The tell tale sign of the only loyal Sannin entering his office.

"I thought you said to come by at 9 old man, have…" whatever Jiraiya had planned to say was lost as he watched the seven year old boy sleeping on a chair. A ghost of a smile could be seen over his face, before it vanished and a mask of lecherousness took its place. "I see, the brat couldn't wait till later could he? Well just wake him up and let's get on with it."

After waiting for the Hokage to make some sort of move, Jiraiya just gave up and flashed through set of hand-seals, the water from the water cooler in a corner rose and completely drenched Naruto.

The seven year old boy's eyes flashed open as spluttered and let out a stream of curses, "What the hell! Who was that?" he questioned, his eyes finally landed on an old man with weird clothes, who was laughing while holding his stomach.

A pair of red eyes narrowed, "Why you…" Naruto quickly rushed and drew back his fist, preparing to smash it in the offender's face. However, much to his surprise, the older man easily grabbed a hold of his fist, twisted his arm and put it behind his back. Naruto tried to struggle, but the man twisted his arm further, making the blond boy cry out in pain. In desperation, he raised sandaled foot and smashed it into his captors' groin, only to find his feet come into contact with a hard surface.

"Kid…with the number of women who beat the shit outta me everyday, I've learnt to protect that part of my anatomy veryyy safely"

Before Naruto could respond, a small cough caught his attention. Twisting his head, he saw the Sandaime chuckling, "Well Naruto, it seems it won't be difficult to teach you how to keep yourself safe…you do it fine on your own." Upon noticing the boy's confused expression, Jiraiya butted into the conversation, "What sensei here means gaki, is that for one year your going to be taught how to defend yourself. You will be trained by me for twelve months, and based how you perform, you will be allowed to leave the village on a _training_ trip."

"Its for your best Naruto, you know what you hold." Continued Sarutobi, " Right now even a weak genin could easily overpower you. It would bode well for Konoha if you are captured by an enemy nation. For you to face the world, you have to train first. Jiraiya here, was one of my students and is the only person in this village who can match me. Regardless of how he behaves, he is a very good teacher, in-fact he trained the Fourth himself. I believe that under him, you'll finally be ready to complete your goals."

"Alright oji-san," conceded Naruto with a sigh, "If you want me to get stronger before leaving, then I will. Even if it means that I have to deal with this circus clown." He pointed towards Jiraiya, who became red with anger.

"What do you mean baka, I'm Jiraiya of the sannin. You're the clown here, what kind of ninja wears _orange_ of all colors. Its as if you _want_ to be killed."

"Hey! It's not my fault that the stupid shopkeepers wouldn't let me in their shops. I'm not exactly the most popular person around here!" panted Naruto, his eyes glowing slightly. This sight almost made the sennin forget his words, but he quickly recovered.

"Well that's gonna change now. We're going shopping, and after I'm done with you, you'll look like a proper ninja, and after that…we'll begin your tortu…training."

The pair continued to argue, as the older and much _wiser_ Jiraiya managed to catch a struggling Naruto in a headlock and started dragging him out through the door. Neither of them paying any attention to their superior sitting behind a huge desk, sporting a mega sweatdrop.

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**A/N: DONE!!! I want to thank all the people who reviewed and left suggestions. They help me a lot in developing the story further. I also want to thank the reviewer crimsonmoon08, who pointed out an embarrassing mistake in chap3. I just want to say that the pairing won't happen until a looong time. Come on people, Naruto is SEVEN years old. He will most likely be paired after the time-skip (The manga one). You are free to give suggestions about the girls. It will most likely be Naruto/one girl. BUT I might do Naru/X/X. While suggesting a possible pairing, please give a reason. **

**Sannin San + Nin (3 ninja)**

**Sennin Hermit**

**Next time: A New Look and Training Commences. **


	5. A New Look and Training Commences

**A New Look and Training Commences**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Splinter Cell. They belong to their respective owners**

"Alright brat," said Jiraiya as he practically dragged Naruto in…by his feet, "We're here. Now, go select the clothes you want to wear. But remember, I get to have the final decision on what clothes you can wear. Now scram!"

Naruto looked up and read the shop's name…'Ninja Needs', he hadn't come here before, maybe if he was lucky he'd actually get some clothes.

Muttering about old people with weird clothing habits ordering him about clothes, he entered the store and made his way to the clothing section of 'Ninja Needs', a store built specifically for the basic needs of a shinobi. But before Naruto could so much as lay a hand on something orange, he was seen by the owner.

And the drama began…but

not in the usual manner

"You're alive! But…but you're supposed to be dead, t-they said t-that they killed you." But before Naruto could muster up an appropriate defense for the inevitable attack, he was…hugged…

by woman…

who was crying…

over him…

Unwilling tears escaped his ruby read eyes as he realized that, whoever this person was, she cared for him. He slowly moved his hand to the woman's back to comfort her. After a few minutes, the woman was sober enough, to engage in a civilized conversation. "I'm sorry," muttered the woman, "But…the villagers were going on about how they had killed you, and I never expected you to be alive!"

Naruto for the first time got to observe the only civilian, who he believed to be the only villager who didn't hate him. She was…mature, he could safely guess that she wasn't a day older than twenty seven. She had slightly long hair, reaching up to her mid back. Her face had touch of make-up and her honey brown eyes glistened with tears. She wore a light blue kimono, with dark blue embroidery, which accentuated every curve of her body. Despite her age, she was, for the lack of words, hot!

"Ne, nee-san. Why…why didn't you throw me out like the rest of the shopkeepers? Don't you know about Kyuubi?" inquired Naruto.

The woman was shocked at the boy's awareness of his tenant, but she nonetheless answered, "That's because unlike the other villagers, I see you as someone who keeps this village safe. You see Naruto-kun, my husband was the Yoindaime's teammate, right from when he was gennin, to when they both left the ANBU. The Yondaime went on to become a jounin instructor, while my husband became a combat specialist and retired after the war. At first I was like the others, but my husband told me of the Yondaime's seal, and how many steps he had taken to ensure that the Kyuubi would never break out, it is thanks to him that I think of you as a hero, and not as the demon you hold within your soul."

"Thank you nee-san," said Naruto, his resolve to be acknowledged raised to knew heights as he saw that there were indeed some people who liked him. Just then the 'great' Jiraiya made his presence known by entering the store, through the window. The hermit quickly got up and dusted himself, he then proceeded to put his telescope back into a hidden pocket.

"Jiraiya-sama," said the woman, "How many times have I told you not to go peeking on women!"

"Now now Hinamori. You should acknowledge my greatness, I am the savior of…" Jiraiya's lecture on his importance to the male ninja populace was cut short by a slap on the head by an irritated Naruto, "You…you pervert! Ero-sennin!" huffed the small brat. "Shut up gaki, I wouldn't trust you to know the subtle art of seduction, to ensnare a woman with merely a look, to arouse he…" this time he was bonked on the head by Hinamori, who was sporting a small blush.

Pretending to be distracted, Jiraiys cleared his throat and addressed Hinamori, "Hinamori-chan can you help me get some clothes for the baka here. I've decided to take him on as an apprentice, only for an year though, and I want him to wear some clothes that wouldn't get him killed."

"Of coarse Ero-sama. Come Naruto, follow me," said Hinamori, as she gently ushered a grinning Naruto into the clothing section, while leaving a seething Jiraiya.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It had been over an hour since the old hermit had been waiting for his apprentice,

'_I swear I'll kill the gaki if he comes out wearing something orange.'_

Finally Hinamori made her way out of the clothes section, and smiled at Jiraya, "He's definitely going to have half of Konoha after him,"

Jiraiya looked behind the woman, and saw Naruto making his way towards Jiraiya, he stopped near the counter and allowed the older ninja to inspect him.

The 'new' Naruto wore a body hugging sleeveless dark blue T-shirt, with black Cargo pants that were tight around the thighs but loosened up as they went down, the pants were held up by two belts. A pair of combat boots were adorned on his feet and reached up to his shins. His hands were covered by black bandages that went up to the elbows.

'_Perfect,' _thought Jiraiya.

"Oy gaki…what's with the bad-ass look. You look like a ninja wannabe."

"Yeah right Ero-sennin, at least I don't wear a combination of green and red!" came the retort.

"Fine, fine." Conceded Jiraiya, not in a mood to get into a verbal spat. "How much for this and a few spare clothes, two rolls of black ninja bandages, two rolls of ninja wire, a kunai holster and twenty kunai and fifteen shuriken?" he asked Hinamori, who was behind the counter.

She quickly tallied up the score, "It'll be ten thousand ryo." She said looking up expectantly. Muttering under his breath about the inflation, and how cheap things were in his generation, Jiraiya took out his check book, wrote down the appropriate amount, and handed it over to Hinamori.

The woman took the offered piece of paper before putting it in a drawer. She smiled at Naruto, "My husband, Kotaru manages a weapons shop for jounin and ANBU level ninja, its just round the corner. I don't think he'll mind selling you some custom made kunais though, I've heard that they've been made quite popular by some ninja, visit him if you're ever in the need of a weapon."

"Arigato Hinamori-san," bowed Naruto, "I'll find your husband if I am in the need something."

"Come gaki, lets get you a haircut. Your hair is to long."

Naruto bit back a retort, as he followed the older nin out of the shop, all the while watching the man's long white hair blowing in the wind.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Half an hour, a few tantrums, large amounts of killing intent and many beating later, Naruto walked out from the barber's shop, sporting a new hairstyle. His now slightly shorter hair, was spiked up. Unlike before when his messy hair kept on falling into his eyes, only a single short strand of hair fell forward, and the rest was pulled back into a gravity defying style (think Ultimate Gohan from Dragon BallZ or Vergil from Devil May Cry)

Both Naruto and Jiraiya finally made their way to the training grounds. Jiraiya motioned for Naruto to sit down. The apprentice did so, while his master sat down opposite to him.

"Now listen to me Naruto," began Jiraiya in a serious tone, one that surprised the seven year old, "The Sarutobi-sensei told me about your new chakra type, as well as what happened to you, leading to your new eyes." At this, the mans eyes locked into the blonde's. Eyes the color of blood, with slits for pupils, matched the gaze of a pair of midnight black orbs. Naruto was not taken by surprise this time, he may like to fool around, but he was exceptionally good at perceiving things, he had to be, to survive this long. He had known that Jiraiya would have known about everything.

Apparently satisfied with whatever he was searching for, Jiraiya continued, "Even though I may not understand the details, I know this, because your chakra is not hundred percent human, you would only be able to use a select amount of jutsus. For the most part, you would have to invent entirely new techniques. It will be extremely useful because only you would be able to perform these techniques, and even though they can be copied by the Sharingan, they copy cats won't be able to use them. However, I must warn you though, creating jutsus is extremely difficult. Many ninjas have lost their lives, trying to control a technique above their level. This is why our training will revolve around trying to teach you to make your own techniques. Another important factor would be your taijutsu training. Honestly Sandaime expects you to be at least chunnin level at the end of the year, I expect you to be at least high chunnin to low jounin. I will not tolerate any indiscipline. During training you will address me as sensei. Nothing more, nothing less. You not obeying my rules, will cause me immense _displeasure_. Understand?"

All Naruto could do was nod, as he pondered on the change in ero-sennin's behavior. He, however was not given enough time as he was pulled up by Jiraiya. "Look carefully, here are the seals used to do jutsu. Remember them, and commit them to memory. Practice them until you can do them in any order." Without further delay, Jiraiya showed him the various seals. Ram, snake, rabbit and dog being the most common. "We will meet here again tomorrow at nine. Don't be late, and practice the seals. I expect you to be at least proficient in them, and you should be able to complete all seals in any order in no more than three seconds. Dismissed." And with that, the toad hermit made his way to the Hokage tower, leaving behind a stunned seven year old, thinking just one thing…

_hungry, food, RAMEN!!!_

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**A/N: FINALLY!! My exams are over and I give you chapter five. Its shorter than the last chapter, but accomplishes what I want it to. I hope you like it. Jiraiya is a bit OC. Personally, I can't see a childish Jiraiya teach the Yondaime. So…I gave him a serious side, I hope that didn't upset you guys. He's still a pervert though, he's just serious when training or on missions. I want to add that, I'm NOT holding a vote for the pairings. I am asking for suggestions only, the final decision will be upto me, though your suggestions WILL play an important role in helping me decide. Don't forget to review.**

**Next Time: Training II **


	6. Training II

**Training II**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Splinter Cell. They belong to their respective owners**

That night Naruto stayed up and practiced the various seals, until he could do them in any order. Even though he had been practicing for three hours, he still couldn't complete the entire series in three seconds. His best time was five seconds, and even then he had missed out on the snake and tiger seals. With a sigh Naruto went his small kitchen and quietly took out a pack of instant ramen. He put the ramen in boiling water and then put the necessary spices and vegetables. Once the ramen was done, he transferred the contents into a bowl and took out a pair of chopsticks. He searched for a place to sit down and eat, but the entire apartment was filled with training equipment and books on chakra.

Shaking his head at his own dirtiness, Naruto made his way to the roof. Sitting cross-legged he put the steaming bowl in front of him, and took a sip of the broth. He broke the chopsticks and started eating his ramen. This was the best part about night, no one's awake, so Naruto could be at piece. It was a nice break from all the shouting and the glares he received. His mind slowly drifted to the woman in the Ninja store, and a small smile could be seen forming on the boy's face. Someone acknowledged him, and not only that, for the first time, they let him shop.

Naruto had seen the looks that he had received from some of the villagers. They were of barely concealed awe, that is, until they saw his whisker marks and adopted their patented 'I hate Naruto' glare. He looked at the empty ramen bowl in front him, and decided to continue train…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Dammit!!!" the cry was heard throughout the small unkept apartment.

"Stupid stupid seals. I hate you!" said Naruto, while looking at his tired wrists. Throughout the night he had been making the seals. What he didn't understand was that how he could ANY normal shinobi make twelve seals within three seconds! He looked at his alarm clock, 5:05am, the time was shown in bright red. The first rays of sunlight could be seen on the horizon, bathing the sky in orange light. Once again Naruto reset the stopwatch and stared making the necessary seals…his hands flashed through various different symbols in fractions of a second. Done!

Naruto stopped the stopwatch and looked at the time – 4.02 seconds. "Damn you Ero-sennin!" he cried and once again got to work. It was around 8:30 that Naruto finally completed his objective. He blared through twelve seals in three seconds. Grinning proudly he looked at the watch…8:50

BAAMM! The entire building shuddered as a massive facevault shook the complex…which was followed by a scream of "SHIT!! I'M LATE!!" Without taking a bath or even brushing his teeth, Naruto banged open the door and ignoring the curses from his landlord, he ran full speed to the training fields.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Ooooohhh"

"hee hee hee…"

"That's good!"

"Wow! Look. At. that!"

Jiraiya was currently sitting on a tree branch with his trusted telescope in his hand. This particular bathhouse belonged to the Uchiha clan, this particular clan was feared by the entire shinobi world. But what they didn't know was that, the woman of the Uchiha clan were…lets say…well endowed. Carefully Jiraiya shifted his position to allow more comfort as he saw Uchiha Mikoto enter the bathhouse. Even when Jiraiya was a Jounin he had always had the hots for Mikoto, a young chuunin, and to watch the wife of the clan head, nude…made his day. His musings however were cut short as a cry of "SHIT!! I'M LATE!!" was heard all over Konoha. It caused all the woman to look towards the source, which just happened to be from the direction where Jiraiya was hidden. Faster than the eye could track, a multitude of Sharingan wielding eyes narrowed in fury.

"he he. Bye," was all they heard before Jiraiya disappeared in a whirl of leaves, and appeared before a short, blond brat, casusing the said brat to collide with him and fall on his ass.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Ow!" was all Naruto could manage, it felt as if he had hit a brick wall. Naruto looked up and saw Ero-sennin stuffing a telescope in his jacket.

"Hey gaki." Was all he said before Naruto found himself being lift up and be carried by the huge man. Not more than five minutes later, the student and teacher found themselves in a clearing with three wooden posts and a large pond.

"Now gaki, I hope that you did the task I assigned you yesterday, because if you havn't then, there's no point in continuing today."

"You better believe it pervert! I did it. I can do all the hand seals in any order in less than three seconds…" Naruto continued to ramble, completely ignoring his teacher making taking out a kunai and making seals with a look of anger on his face. "…and I can't wait for you to check me!" During the end of the long speech, Jiraiya finally finished his rather long sequence of seals and swiftly placed the kunai on Naruto's back.

Naruto's eyes bugged out as he landed on his knees first and then fell face first, sending a large dust cloud into the air. "I told you gaki to call me sensei. What I did was put you under a gravity field. The kunai on your back is the conduct for that. Now normally, a person would die if he is placed under a gravity field for more than a week. But thanks to the Kyuubi being inside you, you should have no problems. Right now the setting is at two times normal gravity. Each time you disobey me I'll increase the setting by 1.5X. As for your assignment, I already know that you can do it, and I'm proud of you. I had planned on teaching you taijutsu and some theory today, BUT you decided that you needed body conditioning. So your assignment for the next week is…to live." And with that Jiraiya quickly left, leaving a struggling Naruto.

It was late in the afternoon when Naruto finally managed to get halfway to his apartment. On the way various villagers had taken the advantage of his handicapped status to pass remarks at him.

'_Dammit! My body feels so heavy! It a pain to even breath! Well atleast the villagers aren't hitting me anymore.'_ Was all Naruto could think as he made his way to his apartment. With shaking hands he managed to push open the door and set a trembling foot inside. No sooner had he closed the door behind him, that he fell down on the ground, asleep from exhaustion.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The early rays of light made its way into the apartment and lit up a small room. Naruto reluctantly opened his eyes as the events of the last day made there way into his mind. Cursing ero-sennin, he tried to stand up and make his way to the bathroom, only to fall back down. After umpteen number of tries he finally managed to make his wayto the bathroom, after a cold shower he returned to his drawing/bedroom. After a quick breakfast of fruits and eggs he saw a scroll on his bed. Trudging towards his bed Naruto opened the scroll, and saw some instructions.

'_Channel your chakra into the paper to find scrolls on a tai-jutsu style. I expect you to know the theory by next week. If you fail then I'll double your gravity.'_

Without another word Naruto channeled some chakra into the scroll. With a small poof, three scrolls replaced the earlier one. Opening the first scroll, Naruto read – Muay Thai.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The week passed with Naruto getting used to the high gravity and learning the various stances, and how to use his shins and elbows in a fight. Needless to say, at the end of the week Naruto had grasped the basics of the style. On the last day, he was shaken out of his sleep by cold water.

"What the hell! Er-Jiraiya sensei!" he caught himself, shuddering at the thought of extra gravity.

"I see that your learning gaki. Frankly I never thought that you'd have adjusted to the high gravity so quickly, _and_ you even got the basics." Said Jiraiya in a n amused tone, "be at the training grounds in an hour. Don't be late." And with that he disappeared in a poof.

The passing hour saw a blond blue wearing ninja wannabe racing through the crowded streets, dodging people and jumping over trading carts. Panting heavily, he made his way to the training grounds to see…no one.

Out of the blue he was hit by a fist, Naruto went sailing and crashed into a tree, with a little shake of his head he cleared his head, only to find another fist smash him into a tree. This time however he quickly got up and took a look at his attacker. Without wasting a second Jiraiya was upon him, sending kicks, bunches, jabs. It took all of Naruto's concentration to avoid the blows, and even then he was avoiding them only by fractions of seconds.

'_There' _A pause in the attack was all that it took for Naruto to take charge. He pulled all his strength behind his punch and sent it sailing towards Jiraiya, only to find it blocked.

"That actually stung a little brat. Being the baka you are, I don't think you realized how a nobody like you was actually evading my attacks." Upon seeing the look of confusion on the brat, he continued, "It was because I removed the gravity field, you didn't even notice the damn kunai fall from your back! Anyway…I want you to go over there and punch that tree." With a nod, Naruto ran to a tree and with all his force smashed his fist into the bark of a tree… "Owww…that hurt. What did you make me do that for…baka," the last part was said in a whisper.

"I heard that!"

"Damn…dog ears."

"Your pushing it now bakayaro."

"humph!!"

"Now if your finished with your childish insults, look at the place you hit." Without a doubt that tree had a fist shaped indentation on it. "SUGOI!! Hell ya! I'm the strongest."

"Shut up brat…your pathetic…watch."

Calmly the white haired pervert walked over to another tree, and slammed his fist into the bark, with a loud crack, wood splintered. Almost splintering the tree into two. Jiraiya turned back to his wide eyed student, "this is strength kid, and when I'm done with you…It'll pail in comparison to yours."

At not getting the kind of response he wanted, the sensei inspected Naruto, the boy was looking at the tree with wide eyes, he slowly turned to face Jiraiya, and with a look that startled the older man, he said,

"Teach me."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **(1month later) **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Ichi, Ni, San, Shi, Go, Roku, Shichi, Hachi Kyuu, Jyu, Jyuichi…" chanted Naruto as he did pushups with 2X the normal gravity.

Jiraiya had explained to him that for the first six months they would be concentrating on pure tai-jutsu. Ninjutsu and ninjutsy creation would be taught after the tai-jutsu training was completed. That however didn't deter our blond hero from finding different ways to manipulate his chakra. He found that he could replicate one of the Nara clan's jutsu without handseals. They called it the kagemane, he called it…nothing. Really, it was hard to find cool names for jutsus.

Jiraiya had taught him basic academy jutsus such ad the kwarimi and the bunshin, the latter however he just couldn't do no matter what. Nevertheless our blond hero didn't lose hope and continued his training. Ever since that day when Jiraiya had told him that he'd make Naruto strong, Naruto had worked his ass of to complete each and every task that his perverted master set for him.

Naruto had to hand it to him, the pervert was an excellent teacher…when he wasn;t peaking that is.

"Gojyu…"

Naruto stood up, completing his assigned fifty pushups and looked at his sensei expectantly, today was the day he finally started the intermediate work on his taijutsu style.

"Alright…now as you know Mauy Thai is an extremely deadly and effective martial art. It relies on your stomach, shoulder, leg and hip muscles to execute moves as fast and as hard as possible. When you try to hit someone with your elbow remember to twist your shoulder and hips for maximum impact, Now go over to the training post and give me hundred elbow thrusts with each arm."

"Ossu."

Jiraiya sighed, ever since the training started Naruto had become serious. It didn't mean that he still wasn't a loud mouthed idiot. Once the training was over, he would once again become a pain in the…but the rate at which he was growing was leaving Jiraiya with no time for research! Big fat tears made there way in Jiraiya's eyes, as he lamented the day he had agreed to take the boy as an apprentice…

'_Hmm…I heard Tsunade is in town' _The tears and drooping face transformed into a lecherous grin as he imagined those big, full and delicious melons.

POOF

The old man could no longer be seen…but the villagers would swear for years to come that they heard a shrill scream like a man losing something precious to him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX** (2months later) **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Two months had passed since Naruto had been apprenticed under Jiraiya, and over the course of that period he had changed tremendously. Sure he still visited his oji-san and had ramen, but only on weekends, for that perverted bastard had forbidden Naruto to have ramen everyday, saying that it stunted his growth…like hell. Anyway, Naruto had almost finished learning Muay Thai and ero-sennin had given him some scrolls on another tai-jutsu form, called Karate. An extremely fast style that was based on punches kicks and blocks and a good deal of evasion.

It was infact Naruto who had asked Jiraiya for the Karate scroll. He felt that only using elbows, shins and knees limited him. But with combining Muay Thai with Karate he would be able to use all of his limbs and joints, thus surprising the enemy with each new move.

Jiraiya had also taught Naruto a jutsu called Kage Bunshin, unlike the regular bunshin, the kage bunshin was a solid clone that could fight back and even had its own chakra system, however one solid hit would dispel it. But the thing to be noted about this technique was that it transferred all that it learnt during its 'life' to its master. The technique had helped Naruto in finding flaws in hi style. He would spar with his Kage Bunshin and when it was dispelled, Naruto would gain information about the weaknesses in his style. It was only because of this technique that Naruto was able to master Muay Thai. However because of his unnatural chakra, he could only produce up to ten clones. If he tried to make more, the chakra would simply go to waste.

Also Naruto had learnt a great deal about handseals. He remembered one of his evening lessons with Jiraiya…

_-Flashback-_

"Now gaki, since your developing so fast, I've got a reward for you…A lesson on handseals. Now don't make that face, I had originally planned to tell you this when you finished your Tai-Jutsu training, but I guess I can give you a preview now. You see if there were only twelve handseals, then the total amount of Jutsu would be limited, but in order to create a jutsu you often have to create handseals. Handseals are generally used to help in the correct flow of chakra. It means that Jutsus can be done without seals, however it takes a lot of concentration and effort to do so. Watch…"

Jiraiya got up from the ground and walked to an open area. He closed his eyes and his brows furrowed, after what seemed to be a minute he opened his eyes and said,

_Underworld Spines_

Immediately Jiraiya's hair lengthened and hardened, while covering his entire body and forming an ultimate defense. "As you can see brat," I can do this jutsu without seals but it took me months to practice, and even then I still can't use it in battle.

"There are various ninjutsu specialists who are known to make entirely new handeals to make amazingly powerful jutsu. One such ninja is Hatake Kakashi."

_-Flashback end-_

That was all it took to motivate Naruto to start his own pet project.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX** (3months later) **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

With the help of Kage bunshins, Naruto had finally mastered Karate and successfully merged both Muay Thai and Karate into well balanced Tai-jutsu style. His birthday came and went during this period and he received two gifts. From the old pervert he received a scroll on how to increase the Gravity field around the Kunai, and from old man hokage Naruto received twenty coupons for free ramen, there's no point in mentioning that Jiraiya's scroll lay forgotten for many weeks.

In a fair fight Naruto could now hold his own against Jiraiya, however the figths were rarely fair, as the older teacher would use Kage bunshins to ambush Naruto the moment the boy let his hair down, while restricting the boy from using chakra.

It was also during this period that Naruto started noticing a major problem with his chakra. No matter how much he tried controlling it, he would always end up wasting precious amounts of stamina. When he mentioned this to Jiraiya, they could only come up with a solution that the heavy body training and lack of mental stimulation had caused Naruto's chakra to losing the delicate balance between physical and mental energy.

To remedy this situation Naruto started meditating for one hour every night before sleeping, and in the mornings he would study scrolls about the history of Konoha along with subjects like physics and anatomy. The meditation helped Naruto clear his mind and think clearly, while the scrolls on anatomy helped him target the various pressure points and vital areas in a body, to effectively disable, knock out or eliminate and opponent. The study on anatomy was done without the knowledge of his teacher.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**(4months later)** XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Once again Naruto surpassed Jiraiya's expectations by completing his tai-jutsu training in four months. With constant sparring against his kage bunshins Naruto had improved his tai-jutsu to a point where he could easily hold his own against Jiraiya, even with the pervert using jutsu. At the age of eight, Naruto could be called a tai-jutsu master….

He had even regained control over his chakra. Through constant practice, Naruto could now meld into shadows within seconds. He could even use shadows to transport himself. He had beaten Ero-sennin when they had been sparring in the evening, and he had melded into the shadows, came out behind Jiraiya and hit him at a pressure point to knock the sennin unconscious. After that however Naruto's training had gotten harder, as Jiraiya started going all out and forced him to spar while under the gravity field. He said it was for when Naruto couldn't remove the field during a fight in time. Naruto however felt that the pervert just wanted revenge.

Jiraiya had also started to teach him jutsus. Currently Naruto's jutsu library held five jutsus – Kawarimi, Kage Bunshin, kagemane, Fuuton: Renkudan and Underworld Spines.

The last was the personal jutsu of Jiraiya and a high B-Class jutsu. All of the jutsus, except kawarimi and kage bunshin were high B-Class jutsus and had taken weeks to learn, even with ten kage bunshins.

Another thing that they started working on was elemental manipulation. Jiraiya had informed him that through extreme training some jounin could actually control the element with which their chakra was aligned to. It was nothing major, but the Nidaime was rumored to have mastered his water manipulation so well that he could actually pull the water vapor from the air. Unfortunately for Naruto, his lack of chakra control became obvious when he had completed the first exercise of cutting a leaf into two using just raw chakra.

When he had progressed onto cutting a water fall into two, there had been a small problem of him not being able to stand on water. This had lead to extensive chakra control exercises, like tree climbing and water walking.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX** (5months later) **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

5 months had gone by since Naruto had begun his training, it could be said that that the eight year old was equal to a low chuunin. The only thing inhibiting the brat was his lack of knowledge in ninjutsu, genjutsu and battle experience. He was no prodigy however; all his accomplishments were a result of his hard work and regeneration factor.

In this month Jiraiya had made Naruto concentrate on his chakra control. He had informed the gaki that for his chakra control to be in top shape, Naruto had to practice all the exercises every month. The pervert was unforgiving during his training. He had made Naruto climb trees without hands, this include walking, running, hopping and skipping on trees! Even with ten clones working throughout the day Naruto had managed to grasp the training after a week, but it didn't end here…nooooo…they had moved on to water walking, where Naruto had to stand in hot scalding water for hours on end, and when he had finally mastered that; he had been ordered by his taskmaster to do all of his daily warm up exercises, while standing on the water!

Nonetheless Naruto's chakra control had shot through the roof, and Naruto could feel the difference when he used his jutsu. No longer he felt like he was wasting chakra. Each jutsu carried just the right amount of chakra. No more, no less than the required amount.

He couldn't wait to get back to mastering his wind element.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX** (6months later) **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **

Finally Naruto had managed to become at least proficient in using the wind element. He was no means a master, he could not control wind in its natural form, BUT he could use his chakra to form cutting winds around his daggers that could cut through both tree and stone. He had bought the daggers from the Ninja Store run my Hinamori's husband, Ichigo. It had taken a lot of pleading and buttering before the man had reluctantly let Naruto buy a pair of twin daggers. The daggers itself were not fancy or anything, They had a firm and comfortable grip which was eight inches in length. The blade was made so as it didn't reflect any light, it was slightly serrated and was fifteen inches in length. The entire dagger was twenty four inches long. It was slightly bigger than necessary but it would be perfect for Naruto when his height increased. The best part about it however, was that it elemental chakra could be channeled through the hilt into the blade, diving the blade the properties of the chakra.

Naruto was training with his blades from a scroll he had received, courtesy the hokage, when he was interrupted by Jiraiya and Sarutobi.

"Oy gaki come over here?!" shouted the deranged pervert, shaking his head Naruto sheathed his blades at his thighs and made his way towards his teacher, "Old man, pervert." He said, while bowing to each. Not missing the looks of amusement and fury he was receiving.

"Jiraiya tells that you've been growing strong Naruto-kun. That's why we have a test for you. You will be fighting Maito Gai, he is a jounin specializing in tai-jutsu, your task is to defeat him." Said Sarutobi, taking a long draught of his pipe, "He will be here shortly."

As if on cue a man wearing dark green spandex made his way to the training grounds, "YOSH!! OHAYO HOKAGE-SAMA, JIRAIYA-SAMA, TELL ME WHO WILL I BE FIGHTING?"

'_Kami, can this guy get any louder?' _ were the common thoughts of the other three listeners. Sarutobi removed a hand from his ears and pointed towards Naruto. "YOSH! I WILL PROVE MY FLAMES OF YOUTH BY DEFEATING YOU LITTLE MAN, PREPARE TO LOSE!!"

And with that the weird spandex wearing ninja got into a stance of what seemed to be the style, 'Iron Fist', without waiting further he charged at Naruto, throwing punches and kicks faster than the eye could track. It took all of Naruto's concentration to block or evade the hits. Mentally he cursed himself for increasing the gravity field. Right now he was fighting at 3X normal gravity, and it showed.

Quickly Naruto evaded a kick and jumped back, both the combatants glared at each other, "Lord Hokage, this boy cannot keep up with me," he addressed the Hokage. It was at that precise moment that Naruto struck, driving his knee into the older man's chest. Gai skidded back and once again continued his assault. This time however his speed was matched by Naruto who continued to dodge all the attacks, while throwing out random punches and knee thrusts, which were all blocked.

They had been going at it for half an hour and both of them were now panting slightly from the exertion, beads of sweat rolled down their faces, dripping onto the earth. Both of them at the same time removed their weights and gravity field respectively. Now while Gai gained a massive speed burst, Naruto became even faster, his strength also increased by three times. As they continued fighting it became apparent that Naruto had the upper hand in the fight. With a quick leg sweep he fell the jounin and disabled his legs by pressing his pressure points.

"Do you yield?" He asked,

"Hai, your flames burn brightly Nsruto-san," said Gai, for once surprising all present at his knowledge about Naruto's name and the lack of shouting that normally accompanied him.

"Well done Naruto, truly I did not expect this improvement. Gai is one of the best tai-jutsu specialists we have and you took him out. That was at least high jounin speed and strength you displayed." Said Sarutobi to a blushing Naruto.

"Yeah yeah old man, I know I'm the best! You better watch out, I'll be the strongest ninja in the world, believe it!"

"Shut up brat, there's a lot of difference between a jounin and a S-Class ninja, you are nowhere near strong. When you can beat me, then you have the right to say your strong," sad Jiraiya while hitting Naruto on the head, "Get ready…from tomorrow we start your jutsu training."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: DONE!!! An extremely long chapter by my usual standards, that's why it took so long. Expect the next chapter to be equally long. I hope I didn't make him too powerful. He is high jounin in tai-jutsu and low chuunin in ninjutsu, in genjutsu however he knows NOTHING, he has no battle experience. Considering all of this I'll say that Naruto's mid chuunin. As for the daggers, they won't play a major role. I have a weapon planned for him, but he get it till chapter 10(ish), the reviewer who convinced me to use these will be given due credit in those chapters.**

**Next Time: Training Finishes and Assessment**


	7. Training Ends and Assessment

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Splinter Cell. They belong to their respective owners**

**CW: I understand that Naruto beating Gai in a taijusu only match may unsettle you. However if you had read ha last chapter carefully you would have noticed that I wrote - **. 'Gai is **one** of the best tai-jutsu specialists we have and you took him out'. **Right now Gai is not THE best. However I think getting beaten by an eight year old might give him motivation enough to step up his training. As for Naruo he has been doing absolutely nothing except for eating, sleeping and training for six months, add to that he has merged two fighting styles to create a new, this surprised Gai. As for his speed and strength, he has been training his body through regular exercises like pushups, squats, crunches etc **_**while**_** being under **_**three times**_** normal gravity. I think with that type of training Naruto can be safely called a taijutsu expert**

**End of Training and an Assessment**

The seventh month of Naruto's training had finally started and the blond had to undergo extreme embarrassment when Jiraiya had asked him to remove all his clothes…

_-FLASHBACK-_

Naruto was quietly eating his ramen, savoring the way the dish teased his taste buds, when he was rudely taken out of his musings by a knock. Vowing to kill the person who disturbed his quality time, Naruto opened the door only to see Jiraiya standing there with some ink, a brush and a weird smile that sent chills down the boy's spine.

"Move gaki," was all he said as the super pervert made his way into the small apartment. After looking around for a bit he turned towards Naruto and said just one word, "Strip."

All that the boy could do was stare at the old man with wide eyes and an open mouth before he realized that the pervert was actually waiting for his command to be followed through, "What the hell are you saying you pervert! Have you finally decided to quit on women and turn your attention towards small boys!"

**BAAM!**

A blushing Jiraiya struck Naruto on the head, "No baka gaki, I realized that it'll hinder your movements if you had a kunai stuck on your body the entire time you fight, so for the past few months I've developed some seals that recreate the effect of the seals on your kunai. But for them to be effective they must be applied to _every_ part of your body."

By the tone of the older man, Naruto's eyes widened, he would be touched…down there…by a man. Now Naruto was an eight year old, although he didn't know much about the bird and the bees, he DID know that men should not touch other men's… _thingy…_He was broken out of trance by another command, "Now, strip."

"n-no way! I like the kunai, I think I'll keep it. There's no way I'm gonna take my clothes off."

"Then you leave me with no choice," sighed Jiraiya, making handseals faster than Naruto could see he cried out, "_Swamp of the Underworld_", Within seconds the ground beneath Naruto's feet became like quicksand, only it didn't pull Naruto in, but kept him trapped. "What the hell, pervert," shouted Naruto as he blared through handseals and shouted "_Underworld Spines_" and poured chakra into his hair to lengthen it and so that his hair covered his entire body, while hardening into an ultimate barrier. "Oy gaki, do you really think you can use my own jutsu against me?" questioned Jiraiya as he dispelled the jutsu with a burst of his chakra, "Look, even I don't like it, but it needs to be done! It'll give you a huge advantage in battle as your enemies won't expect you to suddenly multiply your strength and speed by a factor of X! Now, I'm going to release you, but promise you won't run."

Sill shivering with disgust Naruto nodded. With another burst of chakra the jutsu binding him was released, absently he thought, _I have to learn how to do that._

The passing one hour saw Naruto unsuccessfully trying to meditate as Jiraiya went about drawing various seals on his young pupil's body.

Finally done, Jiraiya placed his hand on Naruto's head and channeled his chakra through the boy's hair, the seals glowed blue for a moment before they faded into his skin.

"Done, I've reset the gravity to 2.5X, you can increase it by making the ram seal and focusing chakra through your entire body. Just think about the settings you want and the seals will provide you that. The seals will glow only when you activate or deactivate them. To deactivate them, just concentrate your chakra near your heart and say Kai…got it."

Naruto nodded, not meeting his sensei's eyes.

Jiraiya seeing how uncomfortable the brat was…just exited his apartment and made a beeline for the hot springs.

_-FLASHBACK END-_

Naruto hadn't been able to look the pervert in the eye for looong time after that. Eventually though, the awkwardness passed and their lessons resumed in full swing. The jutsu training however was not what Naruto had expected, instead of him learning how to create his own jutsus, the lessons were focused on how to manipulate the chakra through your body and how to get the feel of the techniques being used. In short it was all theory and Naruto just pretended to listen. It had gone like this for a week before he felt a pull, as if his gravity field had increased, and before long he fell on the earth with an enraged Jiraiya standing over him, "Its 4X normal gravity for not paying attention in class brat."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX** (10months later) **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After his gravity field had been increased to 4X, Naruto had finally started paying attention in classes, and found that by doing so he was finally able to complete his pet project. He had also started working on a few jutsus based on his shadow chakra. During this period, he had also learnt how to detect and cancel genjutsu. With his precise chakra control and determination, it was no problem for the brat. Even though he couldn't use genjutsu, he could at least dispel them.

As far as his tai-jutsu went, Naruto had kept himself in top form through sparring with clones and working out while using chakra to stay on water. He would wake up at eight in the morning and would practice taijutsu for two hours. Then at twelve he would meet Jiraiya for two hours when they had theory lectures, after that Naruto usually had lunch. Around four he would practice creating jutsus till he was exhausted and after that he would finally meditate and then sleep.

Naruto had also asked Jiraiya, how he had dispelled his jutsu, before they had began their training, in response he had gotten a laugh and 'figure it out on your own' look. This had infuriated the boy to no ends as struggled to grasp the concept. Another major thing that happened during towards the end of the tenth month was when Jiraiya had wanted Naruto to learn how to summon toads, the boy however had completely dismissed the pervert.

_-FLASHBACK-_

"Enough training! Come here gaki." Ordered Jiraiya, Naruto looked at his sensei in confusion, before making his way towards the old man.

"Naruto I have finally decided that your strong enough for this…I present you….the toad summoning contract!"

"No thanks."

"Whaaa…" said Jiraiya, after picking himself from the ground due to a massive facevault, "How could you NOT want it! Toads are the best summons out there!" he exclaimed.

"Not interested per-sensei," said Naruto as he corrected himself, he _really_ did not want and increase in his gravity field, "Toads are weak."

"All right brat, I'll summon a toad and if you can beat him then you don't have to sign the contract. But if my summon wins then you'll have your gravity field increased to 5X and you'll have to sign the contract…Agreed?"

"All right…" what Naruto had not counted on, was the size of the toad Jiraiya would summon.

With a cry of _Summoning no Jutsu_ the entire training grounds was filled with smoke, and from that smoke, arose the 100 feet tall figure of Gamabunta, the toad boss.

_-Jiraiya POV-_

"**Why have you summoned by Jiraiya?" **the toad's voice resonated throughout the grounds, and Jiraiya who was standing on Gamabunta's head with a smirk, jumped in front of his eyes and said, "Shut your trap bunta, I've chosen that kid over there to be your next summoner, but he doesn't feel that toads are _strong_ enough, he has also agreed to a match with a summon of my choosing. If you win, he will be your underling, if he wins…well you're stuck with me!"

"**The way you put it brat, I'm tempted to lose on purpose, but I think I'll show this pipsqueak the power of toad summons. Come little brat, we fight"**

"You would do well not to underestimate the kid bunta." And with those last words of caution Jiraiya leapt from in front of the toad's eyes and cleared some good distance, before seating himself on a tree branch to watch, what he believed to be an impressive but quick fight.

_-Normal POV-_

"Ohh crap!!" was all Naruto managed to say before the giant toad took a huge leap and crashed into the place where Naruto had been standing moments before.

'_Damn that's a big toad…from what I remember, summoned beings are connected to their summoner, if their summoner is killed or knocked out they vanish. But according to the deal, I have to fight Gamabunta…he's big…too big, that means he'll probably be slow'_ thought Naruto before he was forced to dodge a series of slashes from the toad boss' dagger, '_well that's it for the slow theory, but he still can't turn fast enough and he's not agile enough. I'll have to use that to my advantage.'_

Without wasting a second, the blond demon vessel formed the Kai handseal and released the gravity field around him, feeling considerably lighter, he used his chakra to meld into the shadow of the tree.

"**Oy brat?! Where are you? Come out and face me!!" **yelled Gamabunta, **"What the hell!!" **he exclaimed as Naruto emerged from the toad's shadow between his huge legs, using a massive leg as a platform, he jumped and launched a punch straight at the boss' groin. Quickly teleporting out, Naruto watched the massive toad boss fall down on the ground moaning. Trying to press his advantage, Naruto dashed forward at inhuman speeds and jumped, hoping to land at the toad's head. Instead he was caught in mid air, by a rather wet tongue and thrown halfway across the training grounds.

Naruto managed to break his fall by grabbing hold of tree branch and swinging himself so that he was sitting on it.

'_Let's see, kunai will obviously not hurt him, the same goes for shuriken. The only things I'm left with are explosion notes, my speed and strength. But I need him to stay in one place so that I can plant the explosive notes, and then I have to get out in time…yes, that's it!!' _and with that Naruto jumped down, still hidden from the toad's eyes Naruto formed the seals for kagemane, except that he whispered, "Shadow Style: Shadow Entrapment Jutsu," molding his chakra in a pattern different from the traditional kagemane, he released his chakra. Almost immediately the toad boss stopped his search as he struggled against invisible bindings. The vast shadow of Gamabunta had collapsed and collected near his feet, while chains made out of shadow bound his legs.

"**What jutsu is this brat? Release me now!" **demanded the toad.

His work done, Naruto took out and explosive note and teleported himself near one of Gamabunta's legs. He missed the slight widening of the toads eyes, before Naruto could plant the explosive note he was pushed back by an enormous chakra burst, the lapse in concentration caused his jutsu to fall. Without wasting a second, Gamabunta jumped in the air and shouted, "_Suiton: Renkuudan._" With his super speed, it was childs play for Naruto to evade the water cannonballs. _'Damn it! He's too large!'_ Naruto continued to evade the toad, who was now slashing in the blonds direction using his rather long dagger.

The hot afternoon sun slowly started sinking, making the shadow's lengthen. With a small smirk, Naruto sent some chakra into his eyes, which started glowing. Immediately the world became much brighter. The battle had been going on for three ours now, and Naruto had developed a grudging respect for the toad boss. Both of them were panting heavily, Gamabunta's dagger had been broken into two when Naruto had punched it, and one of Naruto's own dagger was lost. The constant attacking and evading had tired both combatants.

Both boy and summon were low on chakra, if the toad wasn't defeated soon, Naruto would lose. Unknown to him, the same thoughts were going through Gamabunta's mind…

Without any indication, Naruto disappeared, and appeared behind the toad's head, ready to deliver a crushing axe-kick. However at the last moment his blow was intercepted by a webbed hand. A sound of breaking bone was heard throughout the darkening grounds as Gamabunta shouted in pain, his right hand broken.

Naruto however pressed on and disappeared in the shadows, only to reappear in front of Bunta. Crouching down, Naruto swept the toad boss' right leg, and with a thundering noise, the massive toad fell on the ground. Not wasting another moment, Naruto had the huge toad trapped in his jutsu.

"Give up Gama-san." Said Naruto, "You're a strong fighter, but night is my element. You can not win."

"**Shut up brat, I still have chakra left. NO ONE call toads weak."**

"Yes yes, I called you weak but that was before I met you. You are strong I admit, now give up…"

Sensing defeat, the toad boss said, **"Humphh…you're good kid, not even the fourth had managed to beat me, and your still a tadpole…I give up." **And with that, the toad was gone in a plume of smoke. With a sigh, Naruto collapsed on the ground, only to find himself supported by Jiraiya,

"You did great Naruto," he said in a surprisingly normal tone, "You don't have to

summon toads,"

"hehe…about that, I think that the toads are strong, I only said that they were weak to piss you off." Lied Naruto, "I'll be honored to summon them." He finished, while scratching the back of his head.

"Why you…" forming a few handseals, Jiraiya reactivated the gravity field. The strain that the fight took on Naruto's body, coupled with the strain of the gravity field finally put him unconscious.

_-FLASHBACK END-_

Naruto had awoken three days later with a huge scroll near him, after examining the scroll and finding it to be the summoning scroll for toads, Naruto eagerly signed it in blood. He also found a small note,

_Oy gaki, _

_From now on you're the new holder of the toad contract, you can allow ONLY your future family members or an apprentice to sign it. It is also your job to safeguard it. You have the next three days off to gain back your strength, after that you have to report at the Nara clan compound for your further training._

_Jiraiya __**sensei**_

And so with that, the final stages of Naruto's apprenticeship began.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **(12months later)** XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

For the last two months, Naruto trained with the Nara clan. It turned out, that Jiraiya had struck a deal with Nara Shikato, the clan head. He had told him about Naruto's chakra type and his unique jutsus. Naruto, knowing the Nara clan to be brilliant strategists agreed, he spent two months living with the Nara clan, the entire mornings and afternoon he would be drilled on how he manipulated chakra and used his jutsus by some weird old men, he would then spend the rest of the day either training on his own, or learning strategy from Nara Shikato himself. During this time Naruto had made friends with Nara Shikamaru, the clan heir and a rather lazy guy. They would often compete with each other at shogi and go, challenging the other to form extremely elaborate strategies. It was also during this period that Naruto had developed a music interest. He was training near the forest of death late at night, when he had heard a beautiful yet sand tune drifting from the forest, it had moved the young boy and brought him to tears, it was filled with pain, betrayal and sadness. Naruto had not searched for the player for the fear of having him or her stop playing. Pretty soon, Naruto had started visiting the forest at night, only to hear that tune.

A few days later, the blond had bought a flute and started teaching himself how to play the instrument. He found that the best way to produce true music was to put his emotions into what you played, after practicing with his Kage bunshins for weeks, Naruto had become quite proficient. He would play alongside the mysterious person at night, all the while making the villagers guess the origin of the music. Naruto had heard rumors of villagers staying up late at night, only to hear the harmonious melody drifting from the forest, but knowing the loose jawed Konoha women, he dismissed them

During these two months, Naruto had not seen hide or hair of the pervert, even when he asked about Jiraiya from the hokage, he wouldn't get an answer. Also during this time, Naruto had increased his gravity to 4.5X, at the age of eight he believed that he had surpassed Jiraiya in terms of speed and strength. In the fields of ninjutsu, Naruto had invented and added two more jutsus to his arsenal, he could now also use a genjutsu, which was of low B rank.

After an accident while training with his clones, Naruto had incorporated his little pet projects into his taijutsu style, making it extremely deadly. He had no doubt that he could beat the pervert in a tai-jutsu only battle. Also in his free time, the little blond had taken up sealing, he did not want to become a seal master like the Yondaime, but be knowledgeable enough to at least store his items in seals. After a lot of hard work and devotion, Naruto had managed to seal his large summoning scroll into a smaller scroll, which was much easier to carry.

It was during the last day of Naruto's training that he received a summons from the Hokage. The old man had informed Naruto to be at the training ground, which he used in half an hour, ready for battle.

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This was how we find our hero, observing his surroundings. He had on his blue sleeveless t-shirt, black cargos, and black combat boots on, two large daggers were strapped to his thighs (he had replaced the one he lost), two battle kunais strapped to his forearms, over the bandages that covered his arms.

A slight shift in the air was all that alerted Naruto before he dodged a series of kicks and punches sent by non other than Jiraiya, before Naruto could inquire about the ninja's absence, Jiraiya said, "All right gaki, show me what you got…no holds barred."

And with that…the fight began.

Immediately Naruto was forced to dodge a couple of fire balls courtesy the old pervert, moving on to the offensive, he started a series of blows, involving punches, kicks, knee thrusts and elbow thrusts. Jiraiya managed to avoid all of them, except the last knee thrust to his solar plexus, launching the old man twenty meters back,

"You've grown strong brat, if I hadn't intercepted that last blow, the battle would have been over. I think I may have to get serious after all." And with that Jiraiya made a the standard release seal and yelled, "Kai" nothing happened,. Smirking, Jiraiya vanished, and reappeared behind Naruto, punching him…hard, but instead of the yell of pain as he had expected, Jiraiya was awarded with splinters from an obliterated log.

'_A Kawarimi without seals, how much have you grown Naruto?' _

"How did you get that fast?" inquired Naruto.

"Look underneath the underneath brat, weighted clothes, I'd say we are about equal in strength,"

"What about speed?"

Naruto was rewarded with a smirk, before Jiraiya rushed at him…quickly releasing his gravity field, Naruto dodged, "I'm faster" said the apprentice.

"Kage Bunshin!" cried Naruto, forming one shadow clone, "You cannot beat me!"

With that both Naruto's launched their attack at Jiraiya, after some time, Jiraiya actually managed to hit one of the Narutos only to find the clone become a black mass and his had shot through, thoroughly surprised, he failed to react in time to the kick sent his way by the real Naruto, only a quick kawarimi managed to save him from a week of hospitalization.

"How do you like my new taijutsu style, Shadow Fist! Like I said pervert…you'll lose."

"Like hell brat, you caught me off-guard, let's see how your style measures up to mine...Underworld Spines." Jiraiya's hair hardened and covered his entire body leaving only the face, hands and feet as they were. He charged at the brat once again. Now no longer able to land any hits on the powerful shinobi, Naruto was forced to dodge, and resort to mid range attacks. Quickly Naruto took out one of his scroll from his back pouch, pricked his finger and smeared some blood over the scroll while launching it towards Jiraiya. A dozen kunai sped towards Jiraiya, however before they could reach their target, a shout of "_Kage Kunai no Jutsu"_ was heard, and the twenty kunai multiplied into two hundred. Due to the incoming barrage, Jiraiya was forced to jump back and curl into a small ball, the kunai merely bounced from the hard spikes surrounding Jiraiya, falling on the floor with a thud. The distraction was all that Naruto needed to summon a toad, with a large katana in his hand.

Pointing towards Jiraiya, the toad jumped into action, slashing away the spiked shell with expert moves. After a few minutes the toad was dispelled by a blow from a now spikeless Jiraiya. "Katon: Karyuu Endan" shouted the sennin, shooting a huge dragon made out of fire at the blond. Upon seeing the huge dragon, Naruto dispelled his clone, and merged with his own shadow, emerging in the forest. He quickly set to work, building traps and digging small pit holes with the help of his clones. After half an hour he had finished his work, and teleported back to the clearing where Jiraiya was sitting cross-legged,

"So…you came back, I was about to go research."

Not dignifying the pervert with a response, Naruto muttered, "Fuuton: Renkuudan" and shot four balls of highly compressed air from his mouth, the first two were dodged, however the third managed to knick the pervert, while the fourth hit him in the chest. Wiping some blood from his mouth, Jiraiya grinned launched into an attack. Not giving Naruto the time to call another Bunshin, Naruto however, let Jiraiya continue his assault as he slowly guided the pervert into the forest canopy. Once inside the darkened forest, with little sunlight, Naruto activated his eyes and immediately captured Jiraiya in his jutsu.

"This jutsu didn't stop Bunta, how can it stop me!"

"Simple, my jutsu requires less chakra and has more power when there are a lot of shadows near me, and right now…you're in my territory. Give up sensei."

"Don't get cocky brat…" whatever Jiraiya was going to say was cut off by a Naruto announcing, "_Shadow Style: Shadow Spikes_."

The log was impaled by a dozen spikes made out of shadow, Naruto smirked, his plan was successful.

Walking over to where Naruto sensed Jiraiya, he found the Hokage watching a tightly bound Jiraiya with unveiled amusements. The pervert was covered entirely with black ropes, that left only the perverts nose, eyes and hair free.

"Well done Naruto-kun," said Sarutobi, "You surpassed all our expectations, now why don't you release Jiraiya, then we'll explain all this." He added upon seeing the confused face of the boy. With a nod Naruto cut the ropes, with his dagger.

"Now what was with all the attacks?" questioned the blond.

"Well Naruto…you see, Jiraiya convinced me that you were jounin level, frankly that was a bit hard to believe as the last youngest person who reached jounin level was Uchiha Itachi at age ten. Therefore Jiraiya convinced me to test your abilities, on the condition that if you matched by expectations, you'd be inducted into the Jounin ranks. After careful monitoring and deliberation I consented."

Sarutobi stopped a moment to gather his breath, and continued, "It pleases me to say that Naruto-kun, you are easily mid-jounin level. The only thing you lack is battle experience and ninjutsu techniques. I'm sure you'll manage to rectify these things within the next four years…but I ramble…I'm proud to award you Naruto Uzumaki the jounin rank of Konoha and congratulate you for breaking the previous record. Meet me tomorrow at the Hokage tower to complete the official paperwork, until then…" he gestured to Jiraiya, who unsealed a Konoha headband and standard custom made jounin vest and handed it to a dumbstruck eight year old boy.

Upon seeing Naruto's condition Sarutobi chuckled and waved his hand in goodbye, "I'll see you in the morning Naruto-kun." With that both the S-Class ninja vanished in smoke…leaving Naruto, who looked at the vest in wonder, before grinning ear-to-ear and shouting…"YATTA!!! I DID IT!!!!"

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**A/N: How did you like it? I enjoyed the two fight scenes. Thanks to all those people who corrected me in chapter six. The next chapter might be a bit late(or not) as I'm planning to start a Harry Potter fic titled, Codename: Wraith. Anyway….**

**the kunais are like the ones used by Anko in the manga, slightly longer and a bit curved. **

**Naruto's Jutsu Library:**

**1. Kage Bunshin (modified)**

**2. Kage Kunai no jutsu**

**3. Kawarmi (sealless)**

**4. Shadow Style: Shadow Entrapment Teachnique**

**5. Shadow Style: Shadow Spikes**

**6. Fuuton: Renkuudan**

**7. B-Class Genjutsu (unidentified)**

**Next Time: Leaving Konoha**


	8. Leaving Konoha

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Splinter Cell. They belong to their respective owners**

To all those anonymous reviewers who feel that Naruto is either to powerful or should be sannin level: I will once _again_tell you about Naruto. He is _exceptional_in taijutsu, he beat Gai and at age eight his strength almost rivals Tsunade. He is mediocre in ninjutsu(this will change), and his genjutsu is almost non existent. He is only this powerful because of the clone and gravity training. Being under a constant gravity puts extreme pressure on not only his bones, but also on his heart, brain and lungs, making it painful for his body to function. Had it not been for Kyuubi healing him, Naruto would have been dead the first day of his training. And FINALLY why Naruto is jounin not S-Class, is because do you really think Jiraiya was going all-out on an eight year old boy. There is a thing called humanity people. If you take a look at the manga Jiraiya is a ninja who concentrates on sealing, summoning and espionage. He did not use the first two AT ALL, while Naruto HAD to use every trick up his sleeve. If you still feel that Naruto is either over powered or should be an S-Class ninja…all I have to say is don't worry. His training will go slower now that he's going to leave Konoha.

A cookie to Morcalivan7 for realizing one of the reasons why Naruto beat Gai.

**Chapter 8: Leaving Konoha**

The night for Naruto proved to be a peaceful one, his dreams were filled with happy villagers who surrounded the boy, giving him their good wishes. However…such dreams were not meant to last as the shrill of a battered alarm clock woke the boy up. Rising from his peaceful slumber, Naruto looked at the clock in anger before making his way over to the bathroom to get cleaned, only when the cold water touched the skin did Naruto realize what today meant. With a new spring in his step, he got ready. Ignoring his blue sleeveless t-shirt, he wore the green flack jacket over naught but his skin. He quickly wore his black cargo pants and combat boots, he then applied black bandages to his arms, which ran from his fingers to just below his elbows. After strapping the twin daggers to his thighs and using his Konoha headband as a belt, Naruto looked himself over in the mirror.

Naked muscled arms could be seen, but somehow, on an eight year old…they looked good. The dark green complimented his dark pants greatly, and after a satisfied look Naruto made his way to the old man's office.

Throughout his trek, Naruto had deal with the looks of the villagers. But they were not the looks of hatred as he had become accustomed to, they were the looks of curiosity and amazement. With a pleasant smile, the blond continued on and reached the office with lots of time to spare, because he had an appointment and the Hokage was free, he was let in early by the guards.

"Ohayo Naruto-kun. You're looking good." Said the Hokage.

"Arigato…Hokage-sama," at the raise of the Hokage's eyebrows, Naruto continued, "Now that I am your subordinate it is only fair that I refer to you as my superior." He finished with a smirk.

"Oh…if you insist Naruto-_san_. Here are your papers, once you sign them, you'll be an official ninja of Konoha. The enemies if Konoha will be your foes and Konoha's allies will be your friends. You will answer my call whenever I need you. As a jounin, you will have a right to choose your own missions. However the ones I hand out personally will be mandatory and have importance over any existing mission…now…are you sure you want to do this. This is your last chance to quit."

"I did not train the whole of last year for nothing Sarutobi oji-san. True, I did not expect to be made a jounin, but I always wanted to be a ninja. I will do what you tell me, kill whom you tell me to and protect the ones close to you. I swear my fealty…to you."

After the end of Naruto's little speech, Sarutobi could do nothing but stare, he didn't think that Naruto knew what he had just done. This was how ninjas were recruited by the Shodaime prior to the forming of Konoha. The shinobi were not loyal to any nation, but to the man to whom they gave their fealty. If Sarutobi were to leave Konoha, Naruto would have to leave to. This was a law…one of the first laws written by the Shodaime during the making of Konoha.

Without telling Naruto what he had done, Sarutobi handed him the papers, which the boy promptly signed. "When will you be leaving Naruto-kun."

"I don't know, I still have some work to do. But I think that I'll leave by nightfall."

"Very well then…you are dismissed."

With a bow, Naruto exited the Hokage tower and made for the Konoha armory. You had to be chuunin or higher to be allowed entry. It was the same place Naruto had gotten his daggers from.

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"Hey Ichigo! You got my stuff ready?" shouted Naruto as he entered the shop.

"Just a sec runt. I'll bring it out." Came the reply from the back room, Naruto took the opportunity to once again examine the shop that was the primary supplier of Konoha's military force. Of coarse there were many other shops that sold good stuff, but Ichigo's reputation as the Yondaime's teammate and a weapon specialist was what attracted shinobis to this small store.

Weapons ranging from the traditional katanas to the unorthodox bows were hanging from the walls. There were weapons of all shapes and sizes. Once or twice Naruto even noticed some weapons that were a combination of two weapons, like a sickle at the end of a long chain. On the wall behind the counter was a display of shinobi armor. Most was made of leather for fast movement, but there were also some that were made out of thin mail.

"See something you like brat?"

"You wish!" answered Naruto while switching his crimson gaze towards the owner of the shop. Ichigo was a tall man with lean muscles and bright orange hair. He often said that as a kid he was short and fat, somehow, Naruto found it hard to believe

"You got my stuff?" inquired Naruto.

"Yup, all the three things you asked for, though why you need the last one, I don't understand."

"Don't worry…you will when you meet me the next time. Now hand them over." With a sigh, Ichigo handed over the said items to Naruto, "You know, you're going to get a hell lot of attention if you wear this stuff out in the public?"

"I know," said Naruto, a smirk forming on his face as he strapped on the new equipment. The half mask headband with the Konoha head band went on his face, it was exactly like the one the Nidaime used to wear, except that the headband was pitch black in color, with the Konoha symbol being in silver. A bit of chakra was channeled into the face and the headband stuck like second skin.

Next Naruto wore a couple of forearm protectors. They were made of three separate alloy plates that were linked together to form the armor (the ones Kakashi wore as a kid), and finally the thing that Naruto had to persuade the older man to forge, especially for him. Shin guards...but these weren't ordinary shin guards, they were made of the same metal used to make the daggers, which gave them the properties to channel elemental chakra. If all went according to plan, Naruto would have another technique to add to his repertoire. Both the armor sets were black in color.

"Oy Naruto, mind telling me how you're gonna pay for all this stuff? It costs twenty five thousand ryo! Fifteen for your shin guards, eight for the forearm protectors and two for the new headband, that reminds me…hand over your 'old' headband. Ninja's aren't allowed to carry two headbands of the same village."

"Don't worry old man, here," said Naruto as he gave Ichigo a wad of notes containing thirty thousand ryo. "Keep the five thousand, while I'm away I'll be sending orders for kunai and other stuff…that's payment in advance. As for how I got them…lets say it involved night and a knocked out sannin and lots of blood."

A smile formed on the older man's face, which soon erupted into full blown laughter, "Keep this up brat, and you'll be an assassin in no time. Now shooo…"

"Whatever old man…see you in four years," and with that Naruto walked out into the bright sunlight, a quick glance at his watch told him the time. At half past two, the blond sat down in a small booth at Ichiraku's and ordered a bowl of ramen. After ten bowls and a half full stomach the boy once again headed towards the Hokage tower to make his training trip official. Naruto stepped into the shadow of a tree…and vanished

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"Yo old man!" exclaimed Naruto as he emerged from a shaded corner in the Hokage's office, startling the village most powerful man, causing him fall off his chair.

"Don't do…" the words died in Sarutobi's mouth as he looked over at Naruto, the dark outfit, armor and crimson eyes were frightening enough even to stop the Hokage in his speech.

"Do what…Hokage-_sama_" taunted Naruto, knowing full well what the Hokage was thinking.

"Nothing Naruto, are you leaving already?"

"Hai, hokage-sama."

"Very well then, before you go…there are a few things I want to give to you. Jiraiya instructed me to give them to you as he is on an information gathering mission. I believe they are techniques on how to use your summoning in different ways. Another thing I want to tell you is that most shinobi, when the become jounin have two elemental affinities. A person is usually born with one affinity and develops another by using jutsus of another element frequently, but you Naruto are an exception to this, because of your condition you cannot use regular ninjutsu properly. Even so…I want to tell you the process of developing another affinity. First of all, let's say that you want an affinity for earth, you will have to start of by using earth jutsus. After using about a hundred Doton jutsus, you will have to start on earth manipulation and master it. It is only then that you can add earth affinity to your chakra. Sometimes the combination of some elemental affinities allows you to make new jutsus of sub-elements. For example if you have an equal affinity for earth and water, you will be able to Mukoton jutsus, however after the Shodaime, no one had been able to duplicate this feat. The only person who can combine earth and water manipulation is Jiraiya, to form swamp jutsus. I'm telling you this because, you might one day, against all odds…gain another elemental affinity. Try to plan out from now on what element you want as your secondary affinity."

"Arigato…oji-san." Said Naruto while taking the scrolls and slipping them into his jounin vest.

"As for your training trip…I have already made it official. Starting from today you are free to enter and exit the territories of Konoha and her allies. However if you want access to jutsus of our allied villages, you'll have to seek their permission. You are to report to me every six months via a letter. If by the end of the four years you are not present in Konoha, you will be deamed an S-Class missing nin and be executed on sight. Alright?"

"Hai Hokage-sama," Naruto had already known that this would happen, he was high A-Class with the most powerful tailed demon sealed within him. No doubt Konoha would execute him if he went rouge.

With a two fingered salute, Naruto turned and merged with the shadows, only to emerge outside the gates of Konoha. He had already packed his things into scrolls last night so he could leave as soon as he could.

"I'll be back soon…and you will be proud of me…goodbye Konoha."

With that Naruto made his way into the jungle surrounding the village hidden in the leaves, his dark clothes blending perfectly with the surroundings. The rays of the sinking sun were blocked by the thick canopy, and a pair of glowing crimson eyes could be seen floating silently in the forest………The Legend of the Crimson Shadow were just beginning…

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**A/N: SORRY!!!!!!! I did not have my laptop and my internet connection for almost the entire month, hence the delay. This will not happen again!! Its 3:30 am now, so if this chapter is crappy I'm sorry…the next chapter will have a two year time skip.**

**and now for what you've been waiting for…the pairings**

**Naruto/Anko…I had a Naruto/Anko/Oc planned. But this would be just fine.**

**However I'm not sure whether to make their relationship a casual one or a serious one. Your suggestions are appreciated.**

**Next Time: Gun? Sword?**


	9. S Rank

**Warning: This chapter is not edited and as such may contain mistakes**

'Normal': Normal speach

'**Normal**': Kyuubi talking

'Normal': Jutsu**  
**

**Chapter 9: S-Rank**

Two years, three months and four days. It had been this long since Naruto had left Konoha to train himself.

Two months and twenty seven days since his first S-Rank mission, and Naruto could still hear the screams when he closed his eyes.

_**-Flashback-**_

Naruto was perfecting a new technique when he had received a letter via a hawk bearing the Konoha insignia

_Naruto-san_

_Two members of the Konoha ANBU force have been taken hostage by a group of missing nins. Their base is located near the Konoha, Iwa border. The numbers of the enemy ninja are not determined. It is imperative that you rescue the ANBU members as they have valuable information and cannot be compromised. Once the ANBU members are rescued you are to then proceed to the control room of the base and plant explosives there to destroy the entire base. The explosives are sealed at the bottom of the scroll. Since the details of the number and the level of ninjas is not known, this mission is classified as S-Rank. Unfortunately the time limit for the completion of this mission is five days. After the designated time limit the two ANBU must be in Fire country, you however are free to remain at your current location. Failure will not be tolerated._

_Remember this, __**you must not**__ be seen you are to get in and get out without being seen. Anybody who sees you must be eliminated._

_Sandaime Hokage_

'Eliminated'…the words rang within Naruto's mind. He had completed four A-Rank and seven B-Rank missions for Konoha…but he had never killed a man. He would encounter enemy ninja, but would beat them up and leave them alive. **But**. Now, he had to kill if anyone saw him…he just wouldn't let anybody see him.

Naruto spent the rest of the day planning for his mission, and when night finally set in…he closed his eyes and stretched all his senses as far as he could. Like countless times before, Naruto fell one with the world around him. He could hear _everything _from the sound of his heartbeat to the insects chirping two miles away. As long as there was darkness, Naruto could sense anything. Finally, after two minutes of standing still and intense concentration, Naruto was finally able to get the location. The base was situated North-West from his current position.

Naruto once again opened his eyes, but instead of his normal red orbs, his eyes glowed an eerie crimson. Naruto took a step back into the shadows and disappeared.

And reappearing outside the base, it was nothing special. Just a cave.

"Oh well…here it goes,"

Naruto placed a hand on the cave wall and transported himself to the other side via shadows.

"Holy shit, was that a genjutsu! This place is freakin huge!"

Exclaimed Naruto as he gazed upon the large house, no…mansion. The place was two storied tall with moderate lighting, which could prove a problem for Naruto as this meant that he couldn't travel as easily as he had thought.

Figuring out the plan of action, the blond stuck to the shadows and crept up silently behind a couple of guards. As fast as lightening, Naruto struck and hit one of the guards on the neck with a swift chop, thus knocking him out. Before the other guard could turn around to take a look at his attacker, the chuunin found himself on the ground, bound and blinded by a cloth.

"Where's the power supply?" questioned Naruto, he deliberately applied chakra to his vocal chords to change his voice.

"W-who are you?" asked the frightened guard.

"Your executioner if you don't tell me what I want. Now. For the _last_ time, where's the power supply?" Naruto applied a kunai to the ninja's throat to give more weight to his threat.

In hysterics the shaken chuunin quickly blubbered whatever came to his mind, "You won't get to it! Its guarded by three jounin south from here."

"Thanks for the info. If you manage to wake up, spread the word. Konoha is _not_ to messed with." And with that, Naruto jabbed a couple of pressure points, rendering the nuke-nins arms useless and knocking him out.

'_The guard said that the place was guarded by jounin, meaning ninjas employed with a village. What the hell is going on?'_

Without waiting another moment, Naruto hurried to south to where the power supply of the building was supposed to be located. Luckily, he didn't find any guards in his way. Upon reaching the power supply, Naruto found the nuke-nin's words from earlier to be true. The power supply was guarded by three jounins. Fortunately for him there was only one light bulb above the jounin, who were seated around a table playing some sort of a card game.

Upon clearer inspection of the headbands, crimson eyes narrowed in anger. It seemed that Iwa had gone against the peace treaty. Without a word or movement, Naruto split into four copies, three Kage bunshins and one original. Utilizing the shadows,the bunshins surrounded the unsuspecting jounins and performed the same genjutsu.

Before the jounin could even detect the slight chakra spike, the whisper of "Genjutsu: Tree Bind Technique" was heard before three lifeless bodies fell on the hard floor.

Naruto closed in eyes in silent prayer, this had been his first kill. Pushing the thoughts away he focused on the mission and dismissed the clones. After placing five explosive notes on the two large generators, Naruto shadow transported a good distance away before triggering the explosion. As expected, the entire base was blanketed under darkness.

Without wasting further time Naruto closed his eyes and stretched his senses to get the location of the two prisoners and number of ninjas in this building.

Fifty ninjas and two prisoners, another thing he overheard from a couple of shinobi was that there was apparently a power backup which would go bring partial power back within two minutes.

A pair of glowing crimson eyes opened in the darkness as the ten year old child emerged in the prison. After dispatching the two jounins guarding the prison, Naruto turned towards the prisoners. One was girl, around sixteen years of age an extremely pretty. Her clothes were torn in a few places and blood covered her hands. The other man was _much _worse off. A long gash ran across his face, burns and screw holes covered much of his skull. Another man would have presumed him to be dead, but Naruto heard the brief beating of the man's heart.

"Don't worry, I'm from Konoha. Sandaime sent me to rescue you." Said Naruto to the girl.

"Oh yeah, which division are you from?" asked the girl. Her voice betraying her hard face.

"I'm not ANBU. Uzumaki Naruto, jounin. Now come with me if you want to live. We don't have much time."

Reluctantly she grabbed Naruto's hand. "'m Anko, Viper of the assassination squad. Me and my comrade were captured while coming back from a mission…"

She was however cut off by Naruto, "We don't have much time. Grab your comrade, we're out of here."

"And how do you plan to get out of…" Anko was unable to complete her sentence as she and her unconscious partner were grabbed and whisked away. A second later Mitarashi Anko found herself in a completely unfamiliar surrounding with only the moonlight illuminating her surroundings. To her complete shock, she found a young sweating boy with a jounin jacket, laying Ibiki down on a mattress.

Quickly grabbing a nearby kunai Anko dashed towards the boy, "Allright, who are you and who and whom do you work for?"

Further to her surprise, the boy she was holding burst into dark wisps before she found a kunai on her throat. "Like I said, Uzumaki Naruto, jounin of Konoha. If you want proof check my bag over there for the official letter from Sandaime," said Naruto as he pointed over to where a blue travel bag was placed, "Now I'm going to complete the second half of my mission.

Naruto then formed the standard release seal and said, "Kai". Blue tattoos emerged on Naruto's body before fading away back into his skin. "There, much better. I'm leaving my med kit here Anko-san. Take care of your Nakama. I'll be back shortly."

With those last words, Naruto shrunk back into the shadows, leaving a thoroughly confused and pissed of Anko, her attention however, was diverted to one Morino Ibiki and she quickly got to work with whatever little medical knowledge she had.

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Meanwhile, Naruto emerged back outside the mansion. Now that he knew that it was hidden behind a genjutsu, he didn't waste time on it. By the looks of it, the entire mansion was crawling with shinobi.

'_They must have found the guards and the missing jounin. I can't get rid of the secondary power supply. There's no doubt that they'd have doubled the guard on it. At least there's only partial power backup. Even so, I won't be able to use the shadows to get in and out quickly. Seems I'll have to do it the hard way'_

Using what little cover he had, Naruto made his way to the back of the building and used chakra to stick to its surface and climbed up. Upon locating a room with its light off, Naruto teleported into there and from there onwards made his way towards the control room. It was fortunate that Naruto had been able to get a fix on the control room's location earlier or else he would have had to use trial and error to get to the chamber.

Naruto would use shuriken to burst the lights and then kill or disable anyone who stood in his way. The screams, they were the most horrifying part of this routine. Often the ten year old child would have to stop and clear his head of the screams that resonated within his mind. Three years ago he had dreamed to become a ninja and rescue beautiful princesses, not killing shinobi without mercy or remorse, his only consolation was that he had made it painless and fast.

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto had finally reached the control room. As opposed to the rest of the base, this room was brightly lit and was occupied by ten jounins and five nuke-nins and a crap load of machinery, ranged from tracking and monitoring devices to intelligence.

"Hmm….we've been waiting for you little shadow. I've seen how moved, out of the shadows, killing shinobi left and right. Yet I see, you are a child." He drew a deep breath and continued "it matters not. You will die tonight." Said a nuke-nin with a piece of cloth wrapped around his eyes and graying hair. He signaled the other fourteen ninjas to attack the blonde.

Within seconds, seven had fallen unconscious with their arms and legs broken. The other seven, looked at Naruto in shock. Silence, the room was filled with it as eight fully grown shinobi stood on one side and a single ten year old on the other.

As one, the remaining seven jounin launched jutsus.

"Doton: Doryuu Dango"

"Katon: Karyuu Endan"

"Suiton: Suryuudan"

Jutsus from three elements rushed towards Naruto, the boy however simply smiled and waited. When the techniques had come close to him he disappeared and reappeared near one of the jounin.

"You know, your going to have a hard time catching me with jutsu if I'm faster than them."

With that, Naruto punched the man near the heart with all his strength, the years of training at high gravity had enhanced Naruto's strength to supernormal levels. The simple punch crushed the man's ribs and put so much pressure o the heart, that the organ stopped beating.

Ten seconds and six punches later, all ninja's except for the blind huke-nin were taken care off.

"Only you're left right now oji-san. I have my orders to kill anyone who sees me. Surrender now and I'll make your death painless and fast."

"It is sad to see a young child like you talk about killing so carelessly. What has Konoha come to? Does your soul not hurt at killing fellow humans?! Does it not scream out when you crush the life out of someone? Someone who has a family, probably children as old as you?!"

Unbidden and unwanted, images of the ninjas he had killed within the last hour flashed through his eyes. However for some reason the last image was of the Konoha ANBU lying on the floor, his skull covered with burns and face riddles with gashes.

"SHUT UP!! You talk about me killing, what about your subordinates. They tortured and disfigured a shinobi. At least I kill when I have to and I make it painless!! But you're much worse, you torture! ASSHOLE! I'll kill you!

Blinded by rage Naruto rushed forward at full speed aiming to kill the man with one good hit…only to find his left arm fall to his side limp. In his anger, Naruto had lowered his guard and had been ambushed by a shadow clone.

"Good, a shinobi must be mentally strong. It's good to see that you didn't break from my…torture" The normally apathetic face of the man turned vicious as he snarled. Now, let's see how the prodigy of the Gama Sannin faces against the most powerful clan in the entire shinobi world. With that proclamation, the man ripped of the cloth covering his eyes.

Veins bulged as Naruto muttered one word,

"Hyuuga."

"Yes little boy…Hyuuga. The greatest bloodline to ever exist. Our eyes not only lets us see all around, but they also lets me see the tenketsu or chakra points and all your vital organs easily. You are powerful, yes. But against the might of the Hyuuga. You. Will. Fall."

"hehe…you talk about the might of the Hyuuga. But you left the village…in fact you ran with your tail between your legs. I recognize you now. The only Konoha shinobi to be a part of two ANBU divisions at the same time. You were a part of the interrogation and torture squad _and_ the infiltration and assassination squad. Had to flee the village when you were caught helping the snake sannin Orochimaru…Hyuuga Shinji."

"you've done your homework brat…but come…let's see you fight with just one arm."

A ghost of a smirk crept up Naruto's face as he started forming a strategy to defeat the ex-ANBU in front of him. Unlike Jiraiya, who had gone easy on him when they had fought for his jounin rank. The shinobi in front of him wouldn't hesitate to use anything to kill him….

'_Perfect…'_

Naruto looked at the old man in front of him and said one thing.

"Let's dance."

Shinji burst forward at amazing speeds but still wasn't a match for the little kid who kept on dodging each and every one of the Shinji's Jyuuken strikes.

"You're fast brat…but you lack experience." Said the slightly sweating ninja before commanding one of his kage bunshin finish the blonde from behind. Just as the clone's finger's were about to deliver the lethal touch to Naruto's heart, the Naruto being targeted burst into dark wisps causing the clones attack to pass straight through. Before Shinji could get over his shock, he heard a cry from the other side of the room.

"Wind Scythe!"

The Hyuuga turned only to see a huge arc of extremely finely molded wind element chakra heading straight towards his head, but before he could duck to avoid the chakra blast his eyes caught the same technique heading towards him, launched by the shadow clone that had somehow regained form and bound his own clone. Having no choice left. He unleashed his ultimate shield.

"Kaiten."

The chakra shield battled with the two scythe blasts for a while before finally winning and deflecting the two blasts into the nearby wall, almost slicing them in half.

A panting Shinji stopped spinning, and fell down on one knee.

'_Damit! Beaten by a ten year old. H-how did he do that bunshin without hanseals?!'_

Shinji looked up to see Naruto walking calmly towards him. The only thing unusual was that his shin guards were glowing light blue.

At Shinji's confused look, Naruto explained, "You don't necessarily need handseals to do jutsu. I've mastered the Kage Bunshin to such an extent that I don't need the seals for it. Thus making your initial advantage worthless. As for the technique, it was something I just invented for myself Hyuuga-san. I form wind chakra around my shin guards and then launch it towards the enemy. Normally it would cause chakra depletion very quickly, but due to my larger than normal reserves. I can fire ten of these babies before feeling a strain."

Soft chuckle escaped the defeated Hyuuga's lips before quickly turning into full blown laughter. "You think you've defeated me Naruto-kun. Hehehe…you're still wet behind the ears, yet you killed all those people, without remorse or regret. Ending lives at the snap of your wrist…what kind of monster are you? Those glowing eyes, they belong to the Kyuubi don't they? Yes…I can make out from your expression. Striking a deal with the very demon that killed so many ninja's of the very village you've sworn to protect. I won't be surprised if you kill the very man who trained you one day…_monster_."

The last words were spoken with such contempt and venom that Naruto snapped. His mind stopped working and his body stood rigid. He never the noticed the smirk across Shinji's face as he pushed the last remaining chakra into his legs before delivering 129 blows to his body. 128 designed to put a man out of commission and the last blow straight to the heart. He never noticed his clone switching with himself right before the last blow to the heart was dealt. He never noticed the defeat and the rage on Shinji's face when he realized that a shadow clone had taken his blow to the heart. Naruto didn't even notice his opponent fall down on the ground due to chakra exhaustion, unable to move.

Naruto didn't notice anything except, watching the dying moments of all those ninja's that had fallen by his hands. He did however notice the blackness that was engulfing his vision.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"**

"**So you're back again flesh bag?"** said the outline of a male from behind the bars.

"Am I dead."

"**No, unfortunate though it is…if you die then so do I. My chakra is currently opening your tenketsu again. You were lucky that your clone replaced you with a Kawarimi or you would have been a dead monkey."**

"**I have a deal for you?"**

"What the hell do you mean fur ball."

Three huge claws shot out from behind the bars and impaled Naruto straight through the stomach. Kyuubi's killing intent flared and finally something clicked in Naruto's mind.

Through the pain, Naruto thought two words, _'That's why…'_

"**Shut your mouth brat. In here I can kill you a thousand times over!"**

The haziness clouding his mind from the parting words of Hyuuga Shinji cleared and after what seemed like a lifetime, he could think, and upon being blinded from pain because of three claws, Naruto's eyes narrowed.

Unknown to him his own crimson orbs started glowing and Kyuubi's own killing intent lessened considerably.

"Listen now fox. You are trapped within **my** mind. You **will** follow my rules…"

In an instant Naruto melded into the shadows and emerged out from where the claws had impaled him. With a wave of his hand his wounds healed, '_As I thought. My mind, my world, my rules._'

"I will not have any deals with you. I have never asked for your chakra and I forbid you to lend me any of your power anymore."

With a war cry, Kyuubi transformed into his fox form lunged at the bars, but with a command from Naruto, it seemed that the bars only got thicker and size of the colossal cage shrunk a bit. Giving the huge demon no amount of space to move.

"Stay boy…good…now sit."

Unable to stop him, Kyuubi's killing intent rose to an all new level, for a second paralyzing even Naruto, as he obediently sat down on his haunches like a common mongrel

With that Naruto once again merged into the shadows.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by fifteen bodies. Even though he now knew how and why Shinji had tortured him mentally, he had been right about one thing. Naruto had either killed or permanently disabled all ninjas in this compound.

With his mind made up he exited the room and disappeared into the shadows, only to reenter half an hour later after having knocking out and relocating nearly thirty still alive ninjas to a place outside the blast perimeter.

Once getting that chore out of his way, Naruto kneeled in the control room itself and prayed for safe passage for all those souls who had died by his hand. After that, the blonde quickly planted the bomb near a large computer console and set the timer for five minutes.

Once this was done, Naruto teleported to the medic room where dissected bodies of various shinobi from different villagers were lying on a table and planted two more explosive devices there. For the third time Naruto teleported to the weapons room and planted another bomb near a stash of explosive notes.

Once his mission was done, Naruto teleported back to the clearing in which he had left Anko and her comrade.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"How are you Anko-san?" said Naruto as he emerged from the shadows behind the woman.

Within seconds he had a kunai and ten katanas at his throat. Naruto had not bothered to check the clearing before he entered and as a result found himself being the target of an entire ANBU squad.

"I apologize Uzumaki-san, you gave us quiet the scare." Said an ANBU with gravity defying silver hair, "I assume your mission was a success then?"

The dog masked ANBU's question was answered by the sound of distant explosions and smoke rising into the air.

"Excellent. The Hokage sends his congratulations on your first successful S-Rank mission. Your mission pay will be added to your existing bank account."

"Give him my thanks ANBU-san, also kindly inform him that the A-Rank missing nin Hyuuga Shinji is now dead."

Naruto's words were punctuated with silence. The silver haired ANBU spoke up again, "Indeed Naruto-san, then the bounty on his head will also be added to you account. But I take your leave now, we are here to escort Anko-san and Ibiki-san back to Konoha."

"All right then," Naruto turned to Anko, "Be safe."

For a moment Anko's face turned furious at the thought of a ten year old boy telling her to be safe. _'She was fifteen for crying out loud!' _But as soon as anger had consumed her, it left, instead filling her with the warmth of knowing that someone cared.

"Hai." She replied before turning and heading out with the other ANBU.

Shaking his head Naruto sat down on a log and started mending his wounds. It seemed that by forbidding the Kyuubi from giving him any chakra, he had unknowingly cut of his incredible healing. Sighing, Naruto allowed the Kyuubi to heal him.

Within seconds the wounds were taken care of, Naruto took out his flute and began playing a tune of his own. For some reason, the wind picked up just then, gently carrying his music to the group of shinobi who had just left his camp.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Anko had been traveling at a moderate pace that was set for her and for Kakashi who was carrying Ibiki on his back, the man's head had been covered with a headband-turned bandana, when the wind carried a tune to her ears.

The music made her heart flutter and her soul reach out. A ghost of a smile could be seen on her face as she thought…. '_So it was you…Naruto_'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX(2 days later at the Iwa Border)XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A chuunin guard who had gone to take a piss and strayed from his normal patrol route found a large group of Iwa and nuke-nins lying in a pile. After most of them had regained consciousness, they had all told the same story. The base was destroyed by a _single _Konoha shinobi who apparently moved through the shadows and defeated any who stood in his path…it was a shivering chuunin who told the Tsuchikage of the message that 'Crimson Shadow' had left, "Don't mess with Konoha."

That was what the survivors of the 'Blue Star' operation called that man, 'Crimson Shadow'. Nothing was known about the man except that he moved extremely fast, had glowing red eyes and hailed from Konoha. An S-Class ninja in the bingo book of Iwa. Commanders would instruct their subordinates to flee if they ever see any person having glowing red eyes.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_**-Flashback End-**_

Naruto gazed at the stars one last time, before going to sleep. A dreamless sleep that had long been due. Tomorrow he would head towards the village hidden in the mist.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **

It had taken Naruto a week's worth of travel to reach Mizu no Kuni or Water country. It was during this time that Naruto finally made peace with himself. He had decided, he would kill only when necessary, and then provide the dead ninja with the proper respect and a funeral. This was his promise to himself. Another thing that Naruto realized about his fighting style was that he would often compromise speed for strength, Naruto could either hit hard, or he could hit fast, and against a strong opponent, this could prove to be fatal. He would need to change this.

Once again paying attention to his surrounding, the ten year old took a look around, only to find a thick fog covered the surrounding area, making it difficult for him to see even a meter in front of him. Even Naruto's eyes couldn't see past the chakra enhanced mist. Before he could get a fix on the village's exact location, before he could even move a foot forward, for the second time in the same week Naruto was surrounded by blades.

When the mist cleared, Naruto saw four men and two kunoichi all with some sort of swords pointed at his vital points.

"Who are you child and what do you want here?" said an old man with his katana pointed at Naruto's neck. The said shinobi, was around the Sandaime's age but was bald, had a long beard and a rather large cross shaped scar on his head.

"I've come here looking for the famous sword smith Kentaro, I mean you no harm." Naruto held up his arms indicating that he came in peace.

A few of the swordsmen chuckled, but the yet unnamed man spoke again, "These are the remnants of the seven swordsmen of the mist. As for me, I am Kentaro. What do you want from me?"

Naruto had known previously that the Mizukage had wanted the remnants of the seven swordsmen dead, but he hadn't known that they would be on the run with the most famous smith in the shinobi word. The man who had personally forged each and every sword that the seven swordsmen carried and had allegiance to no village. The man who had also forged two other swords, the Raijen and Kusnagi.

"I humbly ask you to make a sword for me." Said Naruto with a hint of pleading in his voice.

"Leave him," said the old man and immediately six swords were sheathed, "and why would I do that? Even though you are a jounin, you still are a small child. You'll never be able to handle a sword."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he barely managed to contain his anger, "I have been searching for you for the past two years and you're just blowing me off!"

"Get lost kid, I have enough problems of my own. I don't wanna get involved again, now leave." Kentaro said in a bored manner, then he turned his back towards Naruto and walked away.

As soon as the old man had finished uttering the last word, Naruto was grabbed by five pair of hands, and in flash two of the five pairs were down.

Upon hearing the commotion, Kentaro turned his head and was shocked to see two swordsmen down. Granted that the two were the weakest, but eliminating two A-Class ninja in a second was not a feat and ordinary shinobi could do.

Before the remaining three former Kiri nin could regroup and charge, they were stopped by the sudden reappearance of Kentaro. "You're different kid, I'll give you that. Let's make a deal, you fight me and if you manage to impress me then I'll make a sword for you. But if you lose, you'll have to quit as a Konoha nin and join us. Agreed?"

The small group was plunged into silence as they all waited for Naruto to answer, "Agreed."

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**A/N: I just couldn't stop writing this chapter. I had originally planned till Naruto gets his 'sword' but this chapter was getting so long that it was becoming a chore.** **Anyway I give you all chapter 9. Hope it measures up to the previous ones. Do let me know about the fight scene via review so that I can improve them accordingly. Thank you for the number of reviews you guys are leaving, it really motivates me to continue writing.**

**Next chapter: Gun? Sword?**


	10. Twin Blades Of Destruction

**Chapter 10: Twin Blades of Destruction**

"…Agreed."

As soon as the words left Naruto's mouth, the remaining swordsmen gathered their comrades and crept back into the mist with smirks on their faces. The mist itself seemed to get thicker and surround the two combatants.

The sound of a sword being pulled out of its sheath followed soon after as Kentaro slowly took out a katana. The basic structure was of any other Japanese sword. But that was where the similarities ended. The blade was dark blue, almost violet in colour and the surface seemed to shimmer, like that of water. The guard was circular in nature like that of any katana, but the on the end of the hilt, a small sapphire stone was embedded. The sword itself was four feet in length.

The two opponents stared into each others eyes for the longest time, trying to find any sign of weakness in the other's style. A flash of irritation passed through both their eyes upon realizing that there was none. With an unspoken signal, the two clashed.

The ground split from underneath them at the force of the collision, forcing the two to leap back. Being younger, Naruto was the first to recover and renew his attack. Punches upon punches were thrown at Kentaro, forcing the man to put all his concentration towards dodging the fast appendages. After twenty seconds of continuous dodging, Kentaro finally got enough room to bring his sword into the foray, with barely a twist of his wrist, three thin lines appeared on Naruto's flak jacket, which was the only thing which stopped the sword slashes from cutting skin.

With a mighty leap, Naruto put some distance between them.

'_That was fast! I barely saw him move his wrist. Who knows what would have happened if he had used his entire arm for the slashes!'_

Naruto barely had another moment to spare before Kentaro thrust his sword into the air, increasing its length to almost ten times its length. Before he had the time to mount a proper defense the sword had pierced through his stomach. Crimson blood gushed out of Naruto's mouth before he collapsed.

"Never think that you out of reach of a master swordsman child. Perhaps you'll remember that…"

Kentaro was cut off by a kunai on his throat, "And you'd do well to not underestimate me Kentaro-san."

The 'Naruto' he had been fighting dissolved into dark wisps.

"Good strategy, you couldn't have been using kage bunshin from the start because there's no place to hide the bunshin. So, that means you created a shadow clone without seals without announcing its name, and immediately had him replace you with a seal-less Kawarimi, I'm impressed. But where did you hide in all of this?"

"Shadows Kentaro-san…"

"Clever…I've heard rumors of you, the Iwa shinobi call you the Crimson Shadow, the man who single handedly wiped out an entire base filled to the brim with ninjas in one night. Perhaps you're worthy of a sword after all…"

Before the two could continue, Naruto felt a sword protruding out from his back, but strangely he felt no pain, or the loss of blood. In his confusion he barely noticed the sword leave his body, along with its owner.

"It seams you are confused Naruto-san, then let me clear your mind…the name of my sword is…Illusion." Said Kentaro with a wave of his sword.. "I never thought that I'd have to use its abilities, but you've proved to be an interesting opponent."

His sword seamed to ripple slightly, but before Naruto could show his surprise, Kantaro burst forward at a speed unimaginable, his old speed paled in comparison to this. But that was not what drew Naruto's undivided towards the man. Five Kentaros were running towards Naruto, almost as if they were Kage bunshins

Readying himself Naruto braced himself for the inevitable attack. Lashing out, he kicked the first Kentaro that came within his range. Only to find that his foot passed straight through. Before he could recover from his shock, two deep gashes appeared on his forearms.

Grimacing as the cuts started to heal; Naruto said "Those aren't normal bunshins are they?"

"So you noticed…you impress me yet again Naruto-san." That is a special bunshin which can be produced only through this sword. A normal bunshin in all aspects except that it has a shadow and produces sound when it runs."

"Genius…then I have no choice, be proud Kentaro-san, for you'll be the first person to feel the fury of shadow fist."

As soon as Naruto finished his words, a bunshin materialized through a plume of smoke. "Come…"

Both the Naruto's extended their hands, taunting the elder man to take the bait. He didn't need to however, because Kentaro once again began running towards him. As soon as he took a step forward, the air besides him rippled and four more Kentaros appeared behind him. Thus began the true battle.

Naruto soon figured out that it was next to impossible to determine who the real swordsman was as the illusions completely surrounded him and were flawless. As a result of this he used the strategy of switching with his clone right when he was about to be hit with a sword. The clone would burst into shadows and reform again once the weapon had been removed, giving Naruto a lock on the real Kentaro.

The battle lasted for an hour before Kentaro called a stop. Both parties were panting and had their share of bruises. The older swordsman was sporting bruised ribs and a black eye whereas Naruto's clothes were ripped in various places from the slashes he had received. His injuries however, had been healed by the fox demon.

"You did well Crimson Shadow," panted Kentaro, "had we continued, I would have been forced to use my jutsus."

"Hehe…that wouldn't have been a problem old man…I hadn't even released my gravity seals yet!"

For the first time in his life Kentaro was stumped, he had drawn a match with a kid who hadn't even been fighting at full power. True even he himself hadn't use his arsenal of genjutsus, ninjutsus and kinjutsus but still…had that boy released his weights, he might have just lost.

"You impressed me…that's for sure. Meet me here in two weeks for your swords."

With those parting words, Kentaro disappeared into the mist, followed by the five dark human like shapes…the remnants of the once great organization of Kiri, legends in the shinobi world, reduced to nothing more than vagabonds and refugees.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **(2 weeks later)** XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Two weeks had passed since Naruto had been promised a sword by the greatest sword maker who had ever lived, and it had been seven hours since Naruto had been sitting on a hard rock waiting for the said sword maker.

Finally through the mist Naruto saw the figures of three men walking towards him, in the center was Kentaro with a bundle on his back with two swordsmen wearing shinobi armor and cloaks by his either side. Upon reaching where he sat, Kentaro gave a goofy smile, which almost made Naruto lose his composure and hit that old man…hard.

"Here are your swords…as I promised. Before I give them to you, I must tell you how I made them, each sword I have ever forged was made after I had fought its soon to be wielder, the Nidaime was highly unpredictable in battle and had a lot of talent for water jutsus, thus I forged for him the Raijen, a sword capable of channeling lightening, thus giving his jutsus an extra kick. Orochimaru was like a snake, dexterous and slippery…I gave him the kusanagi, a sword as tricky as its master and capable of producing a potent poison on its own. The same is for every member of the Seven Swordsman. The swords I have made for you, will suit you perfectly. You are stealthy and silent, yet when forced, you are more devastating than any force of nature. You prefer to avoid killing, but when you have no choice, you choose the method which involves little pain. However if someone was to threaten your precious people, you would obliterate him in the most painful way possible. This is why I present you with these blades."

Kentaro unstrapped the bundle from his back and placed it on the ground in front of Naruto. He lifted the cloth, showing Naruto the first glimpse of his new twin swords. A single look was enough to make the jounin gasp in surprise. The hilt was a bit curved and had a customized black grip made especially for Naruto's hands. The cross guard was triangular in nature, while the blade itself was double edged and extremely sharp. The same was true for its twin.

Once Naruto had taken a good look at the blades, Kentaro spoke up again, "The hilt is slightly curved so that you can perform slashes faster. The tip of the blade is pointed and sharp so the sword can stab as well. The blade itself is only slightly broader than a regular katana; it's just the right size for you to perform fast dexterous moves without it being a hindrance."

Naruto had just opened his mouth to comment on the blade before Kentaro cut him off, "That's not all, like all my creations, these swords will never dull and will never ever get notched. Now as you already know, each and every sword that I have forged has a special property. Now, pick up your swords and strike at any tree that catches your fancy,"

Doing as instructed, Naruto picked up a sword, taking pleasure in the way the hilt seemed to meld with his hand. Choosing the thickest tree he could find, Naruto struck the trunk with a powerful stroke and to his surprise, the blade had sliced through half the trunk before coming to a stop.

"Now, channel some of your chakra into it." Ordered Kentaro

Doing as he was told, Naruto pushed a sliver of his chakra into the hilt, only for a small explosion to rock the tree, blasting the trunk of the tree apart. Dumbstruck, Naruto turned towards Kentaro for an explanation

"There is a small chakra sensitive crystal embedded in the hilt of both your blades, it converts chakra into explosive chakra, forcing the new potent chakra out through the blade. Now imagine, the same thing, except for a human as a target."

Words escaped Naruto as he looked at the beautiful blade in his hand and on the ground. He had expected an ordinary blade from the sword smith, never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would forge something so magnificent. Humbled, Naruto kneeled on the ground and muttered, "Arigato Gozaimasu Kentaro-san."

"There's no need for that child. I sensed your potential the moment I locked fists with you. A wise man once said that two experienced fighters can read each other's minds when their fists meet. Now as per our agreement, I'll teach you about kenjutsu until I feel that you're worthy to wield your swords in battle."

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**A/N: Once again I'm sorry for the late update but my parents suddenly decided to go to a hill-station without any prior planning. Luckily they allowed me to carry my laptop and I was able to write a couple of chapters in that time. Expect to see another chapter come up within 3-4 days. Also I need suggeestions for the name of Naruto's twin swords. Also if you have a hard time imagining the weapons, think of a gunblade, except for the gun position there's a triangular cross guard. The hilt is of the same shape, except the grip is customized for Naruto. The blade itself is like a normal katana blade, except it's a bit broader and shorter.**

**I thank you all for the reviews you've been leaving. They really make my day.**

**Next Chapter: Partners**


	11. Parnters

**Chapter 10: Partners**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Kishimoto Masashi.**

Blades clanged as two fighters danced around the training area, lightening fast slashes were made and dodged. Sweat flowed in streams as Naruto and Kentaro were having their last spar.

Ten months had passed since Naruto had begun his short tutelage under the sword master, and many times he had found himself tired, dirty and on the ground wondering just how an eighty year old man could kick a jounin's ass in a matter of minutes. The old man was a harder task master than even Jiraiya. During his stay, Naruto was forbidden to release his gravity seals and forced to wear weights on his arms and legs. Currently he had eighty pounds on his legs and sixty on his arms.

Kentaro had refused to teach Naruto a specific style; instead he had been advised by the old man to make his own kenjutsu style. Instead, Naruto was forced to train from dawn till dusk with only three breaks in between. Throughout his entire regime, he would perform diagonal slashes for an hour, then alternating with stabs for an hour and so on. The effects however were clearly evident as Naruto could now match the much older man. However with a lack of a proper style, Naruto was still at a disadvantage.

The battle remained at a stalemate till Kentaro touched his blade with a finger, causing his blade to start shimmering. Naruto in turn dropped his weights and reversed the grip on the sword in his left hand.

"Time to get serious Kentaro-sensei?"

Naruto's question was answered by a smirking Kentaro who burst forward with five illusions trailing behind him. Now that Naruto had fought the trickster, he knew that the Kentaro in the front wasn't real. The real Kentaro could anyone from the five. But before Kentaro could even reach his young student, Naruto found himself trapped in a fiery world. He found himself being lowered into a river of magma flowing beneath him. Recognizing this to be a genjutsu, Naruto tried to dispel it, only to find that he could move his body. Closing his eyes Naruto tried to stop his chakra flow. After what seemed like hours, he managed to dispel the jutsu. Naruto looked around to find his short term sensei; the entire clearing was devoid of activity.

Without any indication two hands shot up from the ground and tried to grab a hold of Naruto's legs. It was only out of reflex that Naruto managed to jump and back flip out of the way. Acrobatics was another thing Kentaro had forced Naruto to master. He still remembered how Kentaro had made him stand on a rope suspended twenty feet above the ground to build up his balance.

Before Kentaro could emerge from the ground Naruto did a few handseals and slammed his hands on the ground while shouting, "Earth Element: Swamp of the Underworld". Almost immediately the entire area near Kentaro turned into quicksand, sucking in the old swordsman. But that wasn't the only thing that the quicksand did, it also leached the chakra from the person trapped within.

Understanding that his chakra was being drained, Kentaro dissolved into mud and reappeared outside the quicksand, but not before loosing a fourth of his chakra. Now visibly panting, the man looked at his younger student before charging forward. The two fighters and four illusions resumed their dance as five figures watched from a distance. Naruto was using all of his speed and dexterity to avoid Kentaro's blows while Kentaro was using his experience and strength to block Naruto's strikes.

Naruto's twin swords flashed as he used the one in his right hand to block his sensei's swings and slashed at the man with the blade in his left hand. The two appeared to be at a stalemate, but any practiced shinobi could tell that the older man was tiring out, and as expected, a tired Kentaro was pushed towards a tree. With a twitch of Naruto's finger, a small spike shot out from the tree's shadow and impaled Kentaro just above his knee.

Before Kentaro could triumph over the pain that racked his body, he found a sword at his jugular.

"You lose sensei." Naruto said with a smirk on his face, his crimson eyes shining in the light of the early sun.

"This makes it four wins out of ten Naruto-san. You're improving, I must say, winning two consecutive matches against me is quiet a feat. There is nothing more I can teach you." Kentaro said.

Taking a hand offered by Naruto, Kentaro got to his feet and used what medical jutsu he knew to care of his stab wound. As both student and teacher watched, the wound closed under the green light. Wincing slightly Kentaro lifted his leg, before turning to Naruto, "It was a pleasure coaching you Naruto-san. It is very rare that I am able to teach someone so dedicated. Before you leave I want you to have this," Kentaro handed Naruto a scroll, "This scroll contains the location of a sword of legend. I had once tried to claim it, but unfortunately I lost to the beast that guards this treasure. Only three others know of this blade, two of which are powerful enough to claim it. Therefore you must hurry and not waste time…Now go."

"Hai sensei." Said Naruto, "Thank you for teaching me and making me worthy to wield these blades, I will cherish your teachings and make a style of legend by the time we meet again. Believe it!" he shouted.

"Hmmm…we'll see about that brat. Now get going if you want that sword."

With a nod, Naruto re-strapped the weights on his legs and arms and then walked over to where his blades were. With a flick of his wrist, the two blades vanished in a puff of smoke. With a one handed seal Naruto released his gravity seals and promptly vanished.

Kicking up a dust trail as ran off.

"The kid's learned sealing huh? I wonder where he got the time from."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto reappeared two kilometers north from the camp. He bent down slowly panting as he looked at the dust trail he left behind.

'_Maybe it wasn't a good idea to show off. Ah well, nothing can be done about it now.'_

After regaining his breath Naruto sat down on a patch of grass and opened the scroll given to him.

_Naruto,_

_For many years hundreds of swordsmen have searched for the legendary blade, no one knows its name, but what we do know is that a man wielding this blade can match the biju in direct combat. Anyone who went in search of this blade never returned. The only exception to this was me and my grandfather and Orochimaru. Since I was never able to obtain the blade I gave its location to two people I felt worthy. They were Kisame of the hidden mist and Orochimaru of the hidden Leaf. Now, I give you the coordinates. I feel that you'll be the one to claim the blade, in all my years of life (I've had a long one) I've never seen a shinobi with so much potential such as you._

_Before you go off in search of it, I want to warn you of a beast that guards this blade. It is a demon of that I am sure, for I have never seen a creature like it. It has the body of a lion but has wings like that of a bat protruding from its back. It is a vicious fighter and has some degree of control over the elements. Do __**not**__ take him lightly._

_I urge you Naruto, to go as fast as you can. Both Kisame and Orochimaru are not who they used to be and will use any means to attain the blade. You must get it before they do!_

_The blade is located in the ruins of a tower near the border of Sand and Stone country. Be safe._

_Your proud sensei, _

_Kentaro_

A small smile formed on Naruto's face as he finished reading the letter, Kentaro never expressed such emotions in front of him. He would only call Naruto, child or Naruto-san or rarely brat. It really made Naruto warm inside to know that his sensei was proud of him.

A look of determination set into Naruto's face as burnt the scroll with a bit of Fire manipulation and set off towards his destination.

A half an hour's journey later Naruto reached the docks. The scent of the open sea permeating his nose. For some reason the sea had always calmed him. As Naruto walked down the docks he noticed the odd assortment of people that called the sea their home. Dozens of fisherman were preparing to head out for their daily hunt, while small time businessmen prepared for customers whom they would ferry across the water to Fire Country.

Naruto made his way to such a man. He was a short fellow with spiky gray hair and dark sunglasses, wearing a tuxedo.

"Welcome young shinobi! I see you're in need of a ferry. Maybe I can help? Gatou Shipping Company is the finest of them all. I'll have a deluxe room ready for you. Only seven thousand ryo." Without waiting for a response the short man turned around and started swaggering towards his ship.

"Wait…" said Naruto, causing Gatou to stop and turn around, "I don't want your deluxe room. I'll give you a thousand ryo for it. It's the standard fair. Take it or leave it."

For a second a look of malice flashed behind Gatou's eyes before it disappeared and he said in a fake sweet voice instantly putting Naruto's senses into alert. "Of course sir, follow me."

Nervously Naruto fingered his kunai holster and slipped a kunai into the bandages in his right arm. Gatou showed him to the deck before he himself went below the deck to attend to some work. Not even five minutes had passed since the ship had left the docks before Gatou came up with twenty thugs behind him.

"Alright brat! You could have paid me the money and traveled to your home safely, but you had to be a wise guy didn't you? Now hand over everything you have." Said Gatou.

"Hai hai, don't get your panties in a twist Gatou-chan" Slowly Naruto raised his hands above his head, concentrating on molding his chakra through his chakra coils and projecting it behind Gatou's men.

With almost inaudible poofs pf smoke, five Kage Bunshins appeared behind the thugs and disabled them by hitting the back of their necks. Before the remaining fifteen could react Naruto threw the kunai hidden in his bandages at Gatou's knee. The sound of a kunai piercing flesh was followed by a shrill girl like scream as Gatou fell to the ground nursing his leg. This caused a slight distraction among his thugs which was all the time the six copies of Naruto needed to dispatch them.

Almost on a whim Naruto went below the deck and came back up with two large duffel bags filled to the brim with ryo. Ignoring a sobbing Gatou, Naruto calmly sealed the bags into an empty scroll before slipping it into his jounin vest. Looking over the horizon Naruto saw that the ship had almost reached the Fire country docks. Almost as if nothing had happened, Naruto walked across the deck, paying no heed to the unconscious bodies of various thugs before looking back at Gatou.

"You probably don't have a deluxe cabin to begin with." He said in a deadpan. After getting no response the now eleven year old boy jumped off the deck and started running on water like it was a normal day occurrence to see an eleven year old boy perform such an act. Had Naruto glanced back even once, he would have seen a look of utter fury on Gatou's face as he muttered, "Konoha shinobi."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Three days had passed since Naruto had begun his journey towards the borders of Iwa and Suna, during the long marathon Naruto had crossed the gates of Konoha and was sorely tempted to stop for the afternoon and have a go at Ichiraku's, but was reminded of his sensei's warning and changed directions.

_Three hours later…._

Naruto had left Konoha two hours ago, now he was moving at a slower pace. After every hundred or so meters, Naruto would stop to lay down triple layered traps for anyone who might be interested in the sword.

A half an hour and hundreds of traps later Naruto had finally reached the place, it was an old ruin of what seemed to be like a huge tower. Debris littered the ground around it, and because it was at the sand country's border the entire tower was covered in dirt. What once might have been a beautiful piece of architecture had now been ravaged through time. A chill crept down Naruto's spine as he looked at the humongous structure in front of it. With a sense of foreboding Naruto crossed the entrance and entered the tower. In front of him was a large statue that had a crack in it, on either side of it were stairways spiraling up towards the tower. In front of the statue and in between the stairways was a circular platform with was glowing red.

Keeping his senses on high alert Naruto stepped on the platform…

WHOOOOSH

The eleven year old boy was thrown upward with the force of a jutsu…the damned platform was a super trampoline…the fear quickly gave way to excitement as the boy enjoyed the rush. Through the corner of his eyes he noticed several doors rush pass him. As soon as it had begun the joy ride stopped, the lack of inertia left Naruto suspended in mid air before he began to drop, it was only out of reflex that he managed to catch hold of a ledge and flip himself over. Now on top, Naruto looked down and saw the inside of the tower. To his right their was a huge clock like mechanism that seemed to still be in motion even though the tower was nothing but ruins. He looked down and saw that both the staircases lead to this particular point.

Bracing himself, Naruto turned and looked at the door. It was light blue with metallic bolts marking the boundaries. There were no hinges that gave any indication of how the door opened, tentatively, Naruto reached out and touched the door. Just as his fingers made contact with the wood, the entire scenery around him changed, immediately Naruto dropped into his fighting stance and looked over the room. The entire room was filled with treasure; gold coins glittered in dim torch lights. It seamed that he had been transported to another time altogether, the walls were brighter and free of grime and the door that was supposed to be in front of him was now facing his back. The only assumption was that somehow Naruto had been transported to the room behind the door he was trying to touch.

Taking a deep breath Naruto searched the room, his crimson eyes rested upon another door directly in front of him, being guarded by two huge headless statues holding their hands together as one would hold a sword, but where a sword should have been was empty blocks of wood. Each statue was ten feet long and seemed to tower above the young boy. As Naruto passed them by, he could not help but shake off the feeling that he was being judged by the two behemoths. Maybe it was his imagination, but the statues were starting to gain color, one was starting to bleed red and the other navy blue.

With a flash Naruto ran towards the door, before anything weird could happen.

This time the door transported him into an open corridor. Instead of walls the corridor was supported by pillars, tapestries fluttered around Naruto as he slowly made his way towards another door. The utter silence was getting to the little boy and the lack of any action was starting to make Naruto jumpy. Exactly opposite to Naruto was another door, this one was red in color; somehow Naruto new what was going to happen was going to be the test of all his skill and speed. As he neared the door, Naruto's gaze fell on the sculpture of a man holding a large time piece (the one in which there are two compartments and sand flows in between them) on his back. The weird thing about it was not the object that the man held, but that the entire statue was carved out of gold.

Tearing his eyes away from the strange piece of art, Naruto one again placed his hand on the door and found himself on a circular passage that lead to the top of the tower. With determined steps Naruto climbed the winding passage and climbed a few stairs to finally reach the top, he hadn't even noticed, but night had fallen. Naruto stepped into a circular arena; all around him were pillars depicting the sculptures of angels in agony. All the angels' eyes seemed to point towards a stone with a metallic object stuck in it. The full moon gave of an eerie light illuminating the blade.

Naruto had not taken two steps towards the blade when a shimmering portal appeared between him and the blade. A large creature jumped out of the portal and looked at Naruto with intelligent eyes.

'_He's just like Kentaro-sensei said_'

The _thing _had the face and body of a lion but it had long ears on the top of its head like a dog, which twitched every now and then. Its canines were the size of Naruto's hand. The tail was covered in some sort of armor and tip was shaped like that of a scorpion, and from the back of its front legs, protruded two short wings, like that of a bat.

The lion or whatever it was looked at Naruto with intelligent eyes, nothing could have prepared Naruto for what was about to happen.

"_I'm sorry young one, but you will go no further." _A rumbling voice echoed in Naruto's head.

"You…what are you? And how did you get into my head?" screamed Naruto.

"_I am a wind rider, but this is no time for pleasantries…please turn back, it goes against my honor to kill a cub."_

'_He's just like me' _Thought Naruto, before narrowing his eyes, "I haven't come all this way to turn back. I will claim that blade you guard."

"_Very well then, I have no choice"_

Without wasting another second the Wind rider opened its mouth and sent a jet of green goo towards Naruto who jumped out of the way, the ground below Naruto sizzled as the corrosive property of the acid took its effect. Naruto landed on the ground and shot towards the beast like a bullet. Naruto cocked back his arm in preparation for a punch but was snagged out of the air by a long armored tail. Landing back o his feet, Naruto noticed the tail shrink back to its original length. The beast circled Naruto, looking for an opening to strike,

'_Damnit…can't use my shadow fist, if it hits my clone first with his claws, it'll just extend its tail and stab me.' _Thought a frustrated Naruto, '_Hmm…the left flank is ope…'_

Just as Naruto had thought those words, the wind rider moved to cover its left flank, _'Can it read…'_

"_Your mind…Naruto-kun. Yes, that's my special ability. That's the reason no one has ever managed to defeat me. I know your attacks before you even execute them. You cannot win."_

"We'll see about that…you should never have told me about your ability."

Naruto closed his eyes and opened himself to the world of shadows and concentrated on his adversary. A rush of information filled his head, little details that he hadn't known before were made available to him. The beast was old, almost immortal. It could spew acid from its mouth and a single stab from his tail could kill a man in less than two seconds.

The beast, thinking that the boy had given up, lunged at him to give the child a painless death, only to find the boy gone.

Naruto, sensing the rider closing on him had simply teleported away. Clearing his mind of all thoughts, Naruto further opened himself to the world around him and opened his eyes which glowed crimson.

A growl from the beast told Naruto that his plan had succeeded. The beast could no longer sense his thoughts.

Man and beast rushed towards each other as they fought. Naruto easily dodged the slashes that were sent his way and the wind rider blocked all of Naruto's punches and kicks by extending his armored tail. Even though the fight was at a stalemate, Naruto's hands were beginning to throb after hitting armored hide.

Before his opponent could react, Naruto bit both his thumbs; the blood reacted with the seals placed on the thumbs themselves to form a red glow. Quick as a fox, Naruto dodged a stab and slammed his hands onto the ground.

The ground near his feet cracked as two curved hilts emerged from the ground, not waiting for the blades to emerge, Naruto grabbed the hilts and pulled his blades out, just in time to block the tail and slash at the creature's paw with the other sword. A thin red line appeared in the creature's paw as he gave off a low growl. The wind rider turned and ran towards the edge of the tower and jumped…mid fall it opened its front legs and began to glide, using the thermals from the desert winds the rider turned itself around and spit out a stream of acid.

In response Naruto rolled out of the way, attached a chakra string to the sword in his left arm and threw it towards the best, just as the sword was about to hit, Naruto sent a pulse of chakra towards the sword's hilt through the chakra strings and cut of the string of chakra.

An almighty boom rocked the tower as the shockwaves cause a few pillars to fall. Naruto saw the sword falling and pulled it back via a chakra string. Once again looking back towards the sky for any sign of his foe, Naruto saw the beast cover in armor. Its skin was no longer light brown, but silver and metallic. Large spikes of armor covered the creature's mane. The only spaces in the armor were for the wind rider's eyes, wings, claws and over sized teeth.

The beast reared back and flew straight towards Naruto his maw open wide as a stream of acid erupted straight towards Naruto, by the time Naruto had gotten over his shock the stream was to close to dodge by normal means.

In a flash blue marking formed on Naruto's skin as he felt fifteen times lighter. The weights on his arms and legs too fell on the ground.

"_You are strong indeed if you forced me to use this form." _The wind rider said.

"So are you. You may just be the strongest fighter I've face yet. Let's see for how long your armor holds out."

"_Let's" _Came the ready reply.

The beast landed on the ground with a thud, and charged towards Naruto, the boy instead over charging, simply smirked and vanished. Naruto reappeared behind the beast, as a shower of sparks erupted from its armor.

"Impressive" was all Naruto said, before he was forced to dodge the deadly scorpion tail.

The battle continued for an hour, both Naruto and the wind rider were panting. Deep scratches and bite marks could be seen on Naruto's hands and chest as his jounin vest had been torn apart. On the other hand deep lacerations and depressions could be seen on the creature's armor where Naruto had managed to cut through with his wind chakra or used small explosions.

"Arrrgh!!! Why won't you give up already?" shouted Naruto

"_Why don't you" said the amused, but tired voice of the sentient beast._

"Take this, Hellfire element: Crimson Blades"

Naruto shot two blades of wind towards the beast and followed it by shooting two small fireballs from his hands. The fires increased in strength by combining with the wind, and also attained the cutting strength of the wind blade. The crimson blades made their way towards the lion like beast, who managed to avoid the first one but got nicked by the second one.

"_AAAAHHHHHH!!!"_ the mental scream was so loud that Naruto fell down on his knees.

The hellfire jutsu had gone passed the armor and hit skin. Naruto could not even imagine what pain his foe would be going through. As the boy watched, the silver sheen of the armor dimmed and the protective hide slowly melted away leaving some bruises and a scar on the beast's hind leg where the jutsu had nicked him. In a berserk state the creature began attacking Naruto relentlessly. The boy who was so fast that he couldn't even be seen was now hard pressed to dodge the strikes. This was how exhausted Naruto was. Finally a slash got through Naruto's defense and struck him on the face. Three deep gauges were etched into the cheeks of the young boy as he was flung towards the edge of the tower.

Hot blood dripped down his cheek as Naruto blinked through the haze that was clouding his vision. The boy could almost feel the pieces of skin dangling from the remnant if the left side of his face, he could practically feel the demon chakra working overtime to heal him. In a dazed state, Naruto saw the horrified look on the beast's face as it came to grips with what it had done. As his mind was still cloudy, Naruto placed his hand on the ground and muttered, "Shadow Element: Shadow Bind" sending half of his remaining chakra into the attack, chains made out of tendrils of shadow erupted around the wind rider and clamped down on him.

The beast started to struggle, but went quiet upon hearing another whisper in the night, "Shadow Element: Mass Shadow Spikes"

A loud roar rang throughout the fading desert as four spikes erupted from below the wind riders legs and nailed him to the ground. Even moving a muscle caused the massive beast to be racked with tremendous pain.

The beast could make out the shadowy figure of its adversary waling towards him, as Naruto entered the moonlight, the wind rider's eyes widened, there was no sign of him being hit with a single blow except for three small lines on his left cheek. The bare chested boy sat near the beast and put his hand on the wind rider's snout. An involuntary whimper escaped the massive predator the chains and spikes around him disappeared. Both of Naruto's hands glowed green as he passed them over the creature, healing his many wounds.

"_Why?" _The single word resonated within Naruto's mind.

"You should already know, I'm no longer shielding myself from you"

The beast's eyes widened as the answer became known to him, "_You respect me? For having regretted that last blow?_"

"Hai."

Silence followed as the clouds parted and drops of rain fell on the ground. It must have been a freak weather disturbance, Rain in a desert? Come on!

"What's your name?" asked Naruto, "Everyone has a name…"

The wind rider raised his head, his yellow eyes bored into Naruto now not-glowing crimson ones. _"My kin…they called me…Kain."_

"Used to?" questioned Naruto, while running a hand through Kain's mane.

"_Yes, long ago this blade's power called to me from my homeland. I along with my kin live where all the summoned animals dwell. I was the strongest of my tribe, the blade needed a protector and it sent its power across the worlds. For some reason…I responded. When I reached this place, the blade bound itself to me and trapped me in an alternate dimension. At first it would force me to fight any one who would come seeking it, but when I realized the true power that the blade held, I protected her with all my heart. Now that you have obtained the blade, I am free from her service. Now go…claim you prize, and then come back. I have something to tell you."_

Nodding, Naruto got up and went towards the piece of rock in which the blade was embedded. Only the hilt and the lower part of the blade was visible. A single look at the size of the hilt told Naruto that the sword was meant to be wielded with two hands. Oddly though, the hilt was divided into two parts by a metal partition (imagine the hilt being divided into three equal parts. The first part, the part that is connected to the cross guard is separated cut off from the rest of the hilt by a metal barrier). The cross-guard was shaped like the brake of a motorcycle Naruto had once seen in some mangas.

Tentatively Naruto placed his hand on the upper part of the hilt, his fingers closing beneath the cross-guard. Following his intuition, the blond flicked his wrist to 'rev' up the blade. All of a sudden a red glow surrounded the rock, as the boulder was blasted into a million pieces. The blade pulsated with crimson energy as Naruto finally got to look at the entire sword. The freakin thing was bigger than he was. The sword measured roughly five and a half feet in length. The blade was abnormally large, rather than going straight, the tip of the blade curved slightly upwards. The blade was single edged and on its dull side there was a 'thing' that was raised slightly, and it seemed to be the source of the crimson energy. Experimentally, Naruto squeezed the 'brake' that was a part of the cross guard, and the raised portion of the blade fell down and merged seamlessly with the weapon.

'_So I've finally got a person worthy enough to wield me in battle?' _a soft voice spoke lovingly inside Naruto's head.

A projection of a beautiful woman dressed in red robes appeared before Naruto, the woman had dark straight dark hair that flowed past her shoulders and came to rest just above her cleavage. She had the perfect figure and exuded seductiveness, but her brown eyes held just a fraction of her unfathomable power. She moved towards Naruto, her dress hugging her figure as she approached the young hero.

"Hime…" muttered an awe-struck boy.

The woman stopped walking and giggled, the sound of her voice being music to Naruto's ears. _'That is not my name, but yes, you can call me that. But I see that you're not ready for my power yet. It seems that you still don't have the utmost confidence in your abilities. A shame really, I'll wait for the day when you need me most Naruto-kun. Until then…'_

"No wait…" Naruto lunged forward and tried to stop the beautiful woman, but his hand passed right through the projection and the woman disappeared with a smile on her face. It was much later that Naruto realized, that the sword that he had held in his arm, too had vanished.

The padded footsteps of Kain were heard as the massive beast reached Naruto, _"That woman has a mind of her own. You should be proud that she even chose you." _Rumbled Kain, compared to that woman's voice, Kain's tone almost gave him a headache, and for the first time Naruto noticed how huge the beast was, the wind rider was three and a four feet tall and seven feet long from snout to tail.

"_Listen Naruto, usually when a human gains the respect of a summoned animal, they are usually given the summoning contract for that species. However, my clan had decided long ago to never bind themselves to a summoner, therefore whenever an individual human gains the respect of a wind rider, he or she makes the human their partner. It is a two way bond, the wind rider can summon the human to his/her world whenever they are in trouble, similarly, the human too can summon their partner whenever they need them, and by defeating me in a straight and honorable fight…you Uzumaki Naruto, have gained my respect. If you will have me, I'd like to be your partner."_

The blond stood stunned, he had received too many shocks in too little time. First he had fought an hour long battle with a beast not of this world, then when he had finally claimed his prize, the spirit of the sword had said that he wasn't ready for her power and subsequently disappeared, _then_ the beast he had defeated earlier wanted to be his partner. It was too much!

After a minute, Naruto managed to clear his head and gave Kain his answer, "Hai, I would like that Kain-san."

"_Very well then,"_ came the relieved voice of Kain, _"I shall perform the bonding ceremony._"

Without giving out any intention, Kain lunged at Naruto and managed to catch him by surprise, during the second that it took for Naruto to orient himself, Kain had already stung Naruto in the heart with his tail.

An icy feeling made its way inside Naruto, who only stared in shock as the kanji for wind tattooed itself right above Naruto's heart. Finally exhausted, the eleven year old boy fell on the ground, not even noticing his kage bunshins popping out of existence.

"_Might as well carry him someplace safe." _Said the lion like creature before managing to swing Naruto onto his back and jumping off the edge of the tower, gliding towards the sand country.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Five figures reached the top of the tower a minute after Naruto had departed, and upon noticing the absence of the blade, the one gayish man leading the group screamed to heavens, "Curse you!!"

For two long hours Orochimaru and his elite guards had been hard pressed to avoid the traps. Set around the blaster tower, it wasn't that the traps were exceedingly well made, but they were so _god damn many of them_! The group could barely move twenty steps forward before being assaulted by kunais, pebbles, shurikens and even cow dung! As if Tayuya's foul mouth wasn't enough, the group had to deal with foul smells as well!

But nooo….that wasn't it. When the group had finally made it to the tower, they had to go through the long staircase and pass through a maze of doors before Sakon had accidentally fallen off the ledge only to fly past them moments later. How should have the great Orochimaru known that there was a super trampoline right in plain sight!

The fates still hadn't had their fill though, just as the group had reached the final door, they were assaulted by two short blondes that kept absorbing their attacks by turning into shadows! It was only when Orochimaru succeeded in blinding one of them with some of the cow dung he had on his robes that they managed to defeat the duo, only to find out that they were kage bunshins! And on top of that the bloody sword was missing.

With a sigh, Orochimaru turned towards the three male members of his group. His long tongue came out, licking his lips. Atleast he still had Jiroubu, Kidoumaru and Sakon to play with…"Kukukuku"

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**A/N: How was it?? I've been waiting to write this chapter since I wrote the first word of the story, and refused to post it until I got everything just right. The scene at the end is meant to lighten up the mood and should not be taken seriously, I know Orochimaru is tougher than this, I just wanted to poke fun at the poor pedophilic bastard. **

**I've never said it before, but I expect a good amount of reviews for this chapter (not that I don't already) cuz I've spent a hell lot of time on it. **

**The main plot of the story actually starts from the next chapter. **

**For those who want have a a look at the sword, here's the link: be warned, once you have a look a the sword, you'll get to know its name and it'll spoil the surprise.**

**  
PS: A cookie to the first reviewer who tells me the name of the tower I used in this chapter. I'll give you a hint…its part of a PS2 action game ;)**

**Next time: Konoha and an Apprentice**


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